


Glances

by creative_frequency



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Awkwardness, Eventual Smut, F/M, First Dates, Fluff and Smut, Romance, Romantic Fluff, Sexual Tension, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-14
Updated: 2018-05-22
Packaged: 2018-12-15 11:17:01
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 44,265
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11804907
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/creative_frequency/pseuds/creative_frequency
Summary: Modern University AU. You’ve been hired as an intern for Professor Highwind and with the new job comes an interesting acquaintance.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Find all my ffxv stuff at [creative-frequency.tumblr.com](http://creative-frequency.tumblr.com)
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It was the start of a new semester.  You breathed in the crisp air, gazing with pride at your new place of employment. The University of Insomnia was a prestigious institute and you still could not believe the fact that you had been chosen as an intern to the business division’s head instructor. It would be an exciting semester to learn from Professor Highwind.

As it was the first day on your new job, you headed to the office with a bounce on your step and a wide smile on your face. You looked around at the few the sleepy students wandering about the campus. The entrance ceremony for students and staff would begin in two hours, so you still had ample time to stroll around and take in the unfamiliar campus before checking in with your supervising Professor.

Your University’s campus in Altissia had been very different as the faculty was much smaller. The buildings were more scattered around the city and it occupied less than half of the amount of students that Insomnia’s University could. Altissia had its own charm, but Insomnia was certainly a great city to study. You were lucky to be chosen, but still, you knew no one else in the city yet, aside from Professor Highwind and the principal.

The Professor had apparently planned an orientation week for you to begin with. You would be able to come and go to lectures as you pleased, and get familiar with the campus grounds and buildings.

After finding the only relatively familiar corridor, since you had roamed there to meet with Professor Highwind a week earlier, you inhaled shakily and tried to apply a professional smile to replace your simper.

You walked to the office door and even though it was slightly ajar, you knocked briskly.

“Come in,” Aranea’s voice called from the inside. She was sitting at her desk, going through some papers. Her hair was covering a stern and focused expression.

Last time you had seen the Professor, she had been wearing leather pants and a black top. You had thought that maybe she did not mind her outfit outside office hours, but seemingly you had been wrong. Aranea Highwind did not look like a university professor one bit. She had high-heeled boots on; paired with a half-thigh length skirt and a shirt that showed much more cleavage than you would have been comfortable with.

You glanced at you own outfit, a professional set of blazer and straight pants. Your shoes had barely any heel.

As you stepped inside the room from the doorframe, Aranea lifted her gaze and the furrow between her brows instantly soothed.

“Ah, Y/N, you’re here. Welcome!” she said and hopped off her work chair. You shook hands.

“Thank you, Professor,” you said. Your eyes darted around the office. It was very neatly organized with huge shelves full of heavy-looking books. An almost dead plant in pot lay on the window sill.

“So, ready to start the semester as my personal thrall?” Aranea asked with a glint in her green eyes.

You jolted, but before the motion was finished, you realized that she was joking. “Haha, I think so. Just order me around, Professor. That’s what I’m here for.”

Aranea beamed at you. “Well, well. Looks like we’ll get along just fine. Come on, I’ll show you around.”

After quickly touring through the campus buildings to give you an overall view of the area, you went to fetch your keys from the caretaker. Then, Aranea lead you to the campus café.

“They make a mean espresso here, so if you really need to wake up, that’s your poison,” Aranea said as she passed a cup of coffee, which she had insisted on paying, to you.

“Thank you. I’ll keep that in mind,” you said.

You sat down at one of the tables. It was already rather full of students, who had come in early to catch up with friends before the entrance ceremony starting in half an hour.

“So as I said earlier, if you need anything, you can just call me. I hate texting and those chat apps young people use these days,” Aranea said and let out a disgusted noise before sipping her coffee.

You followed suit. The coffee was actually pretty good and you were glad that the campus had a decent café. “Okay, thanks. That’s reassuring.”

In the back of your mind, you wondered how different Professor Highwind was from what you had initially thought. She seemed like a really friendly and relaxed person, at least outside the classroom.

“You look young enough to attend the student parties. Lucky you,” Aranea said matter of factly.

‘ _Attend parties? Me?_ ’ You tilted your head in confusion. “Thanks?”

Aranea laughed jovially at your bemusement. “You should go. Try out the Insomnian nightlife. I’m sure it’s different from Altissia.”

“Hm, I think I’ve seen enough student parties for one lifetime,” you said sheepishly and busied yourself with the coffee. You did not want to re-live those desperate mornings spent embracing the porcelain pot and swearing that you would _never ever_ drink again.

“Hehe, I’m just teasing you– Oh, look who’s here!” Aranea suddenly rose a bit from her seat to wave at someone.

You turned around to look and your heart skipped a beat. You stared, with your mouth hanging open, as a silvery-haired man in a well-tailored suit altered his route towards your table.

‘ _Damn, he looks fine._ ’

And irked. You could’ve sworn you saw him roll his eyes towards the ceiling as he walked towards you. He barely glanced at you, his intense gaze asking what it was that Aranea wanted from him.

“Hey, Ravus. Nice to see you so bright and shiny at the start of the semester,” Aranea said grinning.

Ravus’s eyes were fixated on her and an exasperated sigh escaped his lips. “Hello to you too, Aranea.” His voice was definitely irritated.

“This is Y/N, my new intern,” Aranea said, waving her hand towards you nonchalantly.

Ravus turned to look down on you and you returned your eyes to his face. His expression went blank.

“Nice to meet you,” you could barely utter as he scrutinized you. ‘ _Is there something on my face or why is he looking at me like that?_ ’

His eyes were pale blue, making an eerie pair with his hair color, and the slightest frown was forming on his face.

“I’m Ravus Nox Fleuret. A pleasure,” Ravus said in a surprisingly cold tone. Did he treat all interns like this? Maybe he was having just a bad day?

The corners of your mouth dropper slightly, but you weren’t going to keep his bad mood from ruining your day too. Still, the name Nox Fleuret did sound familiar to you from somewhere, but you couldn’t quite put your finger on it.

Aranea was about to say something, but Ravus cut her short. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m needed elsewhere.”

And with that, he was gone. You gaped after him, not really sure what to make of the brief encounter. An elated giggle breached your consciousness and you turned to look at Aranea. Her laughter died down gradually.

“Is he usually so… so…” you stammered, searching for the right word.

“Constipated?”–you jerked and Aranea snorted in amusement–“Yeah. I guess it’s especially because of the start of the new semester.” Aranea still eyed you with a wide smile on her lips. You must’ve looked incredibly dumbfound. “Come on, we need to go to the ceremony.”

 

* * *

 

Hours later, you finally found yourself sitting in your very own office room. It was on the same corridor as Aranea’s, though it was a lot smaller. You would have to share it with some other intern, in case one would be hired, but still, it was your room now. You already began wondering what you should bring in to make it look more comfortable.

The days went by swiftly as you attended through almost every professor’s class once or twice to see their teaching methods. You also met the rest of your colleagues and staff you would be working with. They all were very welcoming and encouraged you to ask should anything burden your mind.

At least all but one. You had saved Professor Nox Fleuret’s lecture as the last one you would attend to before joining Aranea for the rest of the semester. You went to his basic health education class, which was going to act as an initialization for pharmaceutical education in the university. You aimed to be early, so you could change a few words with Ravus before he would begin his lecture.

Somehow, you were nervous as you paced onward in the hallway, gripping tightly the shoulder strap of your bag. Your heart was racing in your throat and you kept trying to swallow it down to its original place. You had not seen Ravus after your initial meeting, other than by a few stolen glances at his direction.

You stopped to take a deep breath in front of the class door and pushed it open determined.

Ravus was there, standing behind the teacher’s desk, leaning his palms on the surface.

You cleared your throat, but he didn’t look up.

“Uhm… Hello, Professor,” you said tentatively and shifted the bag on your shoulder.

Ravus’s head snapped up. His eyes were wide in surprise, but just as you realized that, his expression had already soothed into an indifferent one.

“Can I help you?” he asked. His stare was intense, penetrating straight into your thoughts and making you feel uncomfortable.

“I, uh, I am here for the class… I came to observe… I hope it’s okay,” you spluttered nervously and to get something to do with your body, you began walking towards Ravus.

Wrong move. He frowned; his brows furrowed and he folded his arms on his chest defensively.

“Fine then,” was all he said. You stared at each other, though his gaze could’ve rather been called “glaring murderously.”

“Okay, thanks. I-I’ll go sit… over there,” you said with a meek voice. You threw one last glance at him, wondering what on Eos was wrong with him and hurried to the back of the classroom.

An almost painful forty-five minutes followed. You knew you should have been making notes about how Ravus presented his themes and approached his subject, but instead, you spent the start of the lecture listening to how some of the students were drooling after him aloud. For the rest of the lecture, you were the one looking at him with luscious and raunchy thoughts filling your mind.

Occasionally, Ravus’s eyes would flick to where you were sitting, but he didn’t meet your gaze, not even once.

‘ _I guess gorgeous people can afford to be… assholes, or whatever he is_ ,’ you though, intently following how the words fell from his lips and thinking how he could cut someone with those cheekbones. His hair was flowing around him in an almost magical effortlessness. He would occasionally lift his hand to swipe some strands away, but as soon as he looked down to his papers, they would again persistently cover his ridiculously handsome face.

‘ _How can an actual person look like that?_ ’ you thought, completely giving up on trying to take notes. You could afford one class of just… following the lecture. It was your first week after all. And you had met a man you wouldn’t have been able to conjure up even in your wildest imaginations. The only downside seemed to be that he was not one bit interested in you. But that was not something that would stop you from daydreaming.

You had not dated anyone in years. Maybe because your studies had kept you so busy that you hadn’t been able to afford the time to even glance at anyone twice. On the other hand, that hard work had gotten you to where you were now – shamelessly lusting after a hot colleague.

You mentally chastised yourself. No matter how good Professor Nox Fleuret looked, he had still acted like a total ass towards you and it would do you no good to pine after someone like that.

When the clock finally hit the time to end the lesson, you waited for all the students to skitter for their next classes, biding your time by carefully packing your notebook and pencil case. You stole a glance at Ravus. He was gathering up his papers, looking totally preoccupied with the task at hand.

You walked up to him, again clearing your throat to signal him of you presence. He halted for the tiniest moment, before closing his folder.

“Thank you for letting me listen, Professor,” you said, forcing some of the confidence left in you into your voice.

“Of course. Y/N, was it?” he asked perfectly politely, still not looking at you.

“Yes, it was an intriguing lecture,” you chatted, trying to get him into some small talk to even out the oddity between you.

You learned very quickly that Ravus Nox Fleuret did not do small talk.

“Thank you,” was all he said and proceeded to pack his belongings.

You could not think of anything else to say, so you just stood there awkwardly, staring as Ravus finally lifted his gaze to meet your eyes. He looked even better up close; almost dreamlike in his pale exterior, but some kind of an aura surrounded him – it was a repellent for those who were too weak to withstand his scrutiny.

Neither of you broke the eye contact and you barely dared to breathe.

‘ _He’s like a candle flame I want to stick my hand in, just to see how long I could stand it before getting burned._ ’

Ravus’s expression was indifferent, so you had no way of knowing how much he was trying to search for some sensible words to say out loud.

**_‘_** _Wait, is that a hint of blush on his face?_ ’ Your eyes widened. Suddenly, he didn’t seem all that intimidating anymore.

“Very well then, have a good day,” Ravus said hastily.

You nodded dumbly as his piercing, blue gaze left you breathless. He hurried out of the classroom, leaving you to stand there alone.

‘ _Uh, that was… weird._ ’ You shifted your bag on your shoulder and paced after him.

“How did it go with Ravus?” Aranea asked as soon as you slumped into the chair in her office.

You somehow still felt all hot and bothered from staring at the man for too long for the past hour. All the things you could have said before he left were ramming through your thoughts. You tried to calm your mind by repeating how you surely would have another attempt at talking to him.

Yeah, right.

“It went okay,” you lied since you didn’t know what the truth was.

“That’s good. So are you ready to finish your orientation?” Aranea asked. She was getting ready to leave for her class that would begin in half an hour.

“Sure. I’ll join you at your lecture now then?” you said and straightened your posture. It was time to forget _other_ things and start working.

“Yes. If there’s anything else you’d like to see or try out at any other time, just ask. I’m sure we can make it work,” Aranea said.

“Okay, I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks.”


	2. Chapter 2

It took a few days after the first weekend of the semester for you to get used to the work rhythm. You were happily going through some teaching material for Aranea’s next class and once you were done with it, you decided to drop the papers off to her room and then head home.

The door was open and you peeked inside. Aranea was sitting behind her desk, gaze fixated on her phone and fingers tapping furiously at the screen. A half-sided smile that bordered a simper was curling her lips.

You knocked once on the door, causing Aranea to jump on her seat.

“I thought you hated texting?” you said as you walked in.

“I do! I mean– I was taking care of something. For a friend,” she explained, hastily blackening her phone screen before setting it aside on the desk.

“Oh, I can come back later if you’re busy–“ you began, but she swatted the words away.

“It’s okay. So what did you think? Got any questions?”

You took a deep breath before starting to talk.

It was almost an hour before you actually got to leave home for the day, but then you were wiser in the way how Professor Highwind chose her teaching materials. You immensely enjoyed following her classes. She had a very captivating way of presenting things. At the start of a new course, Aranea constantly encouraged the students to ask questions and communicate with her to make the class more customized to suit their needs and learning habits.

You were truly beginning to admire Professor Highwind and were even happier about being chosen for the internship.

One day you were enjoying your coffee break with Aranea in the campus café, when your gaze happened on Ravus. He was stirring his take out coffee at the counter before putting a lid on it. He turned around and your eyes met. His expression was unreadable as he turned away to leave. You had not been in any contact after his class on the first week, but somehow every time you had been in his line of sight after that, you had caught him staring at you. Your attempts at trying to greet him had not been very successful so far.

“Why does Ravus always look at me like I kicked his dog or something?” you asked slowly, staring at his retiring back in a deep violet dress shirt. He was definitely the best dressed person on the campus area.

‘ _And the most handsome,_ ’ your brains screamed.

“Mm?”–Aranea was picking out the olives from her salad–“Isn’t that how he usually looks like?” she said, not bothering to leave her attention from the plate.

You scoffed in frustration, making Aranea smile.

“Pay him no mind.”

“Yeah, I know…” you said almost longingly and the tone didn’t go unnoticed.

“Y’know… you should try to talk to him,” Aranea said and rolled the last olive on the side of her plate.

“Why?” Your brows furrowed and you impaled a piece of chicken with unnecessary force. ‘ _It’s not like he seems to want anything to do with me._ ’ The thought disturbed you more than it should have.

Aranea chuckled. “He likes you.”

Your fork slipped on the floor and a hurried moment later, you emerged from picking it up with a completely beetroot-colored face.

“Sorry, I must’ve misheard you. I thought you said–“

“Nah, I’m serious. He keeps acting weird around you. I’ve known him for a long time, trust me,” Aranea said calmly before her trademark impish smile spread on her lips. “He can be a bit cold before you get to know him.”

“ _A bit cold_?! You mean the male embodiment of the Glacian, right?” you squealed, causing Aranea to choke on her food.

You waited patiently as her coughs and laughter calmed down.

“Think what you want, kid. I’m just stating my observations here,” Aranea said and resumed to her salad.

“So, he is not married or anything, right?” you asked carefully. You had not seen a ring at least.

“Nope, or married to his job maybe. He does some medical research on top of teaching,” Aranea explained. “Is there something wrong with your chicken?”

“Excuse me?” Your eyebrows rose upwards.

“You’re not eating.”

You realized that you had been staring at a piece of meat uninterestedly ever since fetching your fork from the floor. “Oh! I need to get a clean fork… Just a moment,” you mumbled and walked over to the cutlery stand.

 

* * *

 

You thought about Aranea’s words long and hard. You became somewhat hyper-sensitive to Ravus’s presence around the campus for the following weeks. Your paths did not cross often, but when they did, you would just stare at each other, neither showing any further indication to acknowledging the other. For the first few weeks, you had tried to greet him, only gaining a strained, almost painful looking nod in response. Now you had just settled with gawking back at him, making sure to turn you head to glance after his back at least once.

Three times before seeing him, you decided to go talk to him the next time he was nearby. And all three of those times you chickened out. On the first time, you were going to ask him to accompany you for lunch since Aranea was busy at the moment. But when you saw Ravus already sitting in the campus canteen with some of the other professors you didn’t know, you decided that eating lunch alone would not be so bad after all.

On the second time, Ravus emerged completely unexpectedly from one of the offices on the same corridor as yours resided. You just stared dumbfound as he strode past you with his infamous frown plastered on his face. His lingering gaze set your heart in overdrive and you had to sternly scold yourself to focus on work again after the encounter.

On the third time, you psyched yourself up. ‘ _He is just a man – an absurdly good looking man, but still. You can talk to him. Just do it._ ’ This time, you would surely start a conversation with him. The situation couldn’t have been any better – Ravus was talking with Aranea in the main building’s entrance hall. You approached them with a hearty greeting and a smile.

Ravus practically ran away.

You weren’t really sure anymore had Aranea just jested you by saying that he was interested in you. Besides, his interest was probably mostly professional. Maybe he was thinking of hiring an intern of his own and would’ve liked to become familiar with the process? No, in that case, he would’ve just gone to talk with Aranea. You were starting to think that maybe you weren’t meant to have any kind of relationship with him, since he seemed to rather run away than talk idle pleasantries with you.

But still, _why did he keep staring at you_?

Every single day you saw him at the campus café. He always picked up a cup of some kind of specialty coffee before heading to his morning lecture. That happened at the same time as you arrived to the campus on most days, passing the café building on your way to the office. You had stopped counting the times you had seen Ravus come out of the café, wearing a perplexed expression of seeing you pop straight before him so early in the morning.

It would’ve probably been easy to try to engage him in a conversation, or to simply greet him properly, but you thought it was way past the time he should have been the one to initiate the social contact. So you stayed silent and just stared. Maybe if you would stare enough, he would become irked and ask what the look was for? On the other hand, his stare was already doing that to you and you had no intention of trying to call him out on that.

After a whole month at the University of Insomnia, you had become well-versed in the ways of the house and more importantly, the ways of Professor Highwind. She did not overburden you, at least not yet, but she still expected a lot from you.

Your days were busy. You attended most of Aranea’s lectures and helped her with some more menial tasks, such as copying handouts for the students. Gradually, she was beginning to give you more responsibilities and even talk about having you teach some lessons. The thought of teaching both terrified and excited you – teaching was what you wanted to do. It was the actual reason why you had applied for the internship.

You followed Aranea around the campus like you were her shadow. In one short month, you felt as if you had learned more than in your entire university career. You had acted as a teacher’s assistant in Altissia earlier, but this was different. Your admiration and respect towards your mentor only deepened as the days passed by.

You were just about finished with grading a batch of essays, when Aranea knocked on your office door.

“You should come to the professors’ meeting too,” she said, “It’ll be a good experience to kill down that enthusiasm of yours to teach.” She was grinning.

“Sure, I’ll just finish with these and come over. It starts in twenty, right?” you said, motioning towards the paper pile on your desk.

“Yeah, in the first conference room. Don’t be late.”

Ten minutes later, you gathered your precious notebook and pencil case into your bag. You took a glance in the mirror to make sure your makeup was pristine and headed to the meeting. Despite knowing that it would most likely be very dull, you were excited.

The wall between the corridor and the conference room was made of glass, so you got a good look at the attendees before arriving at the door. Aranea was there already, sitting with elbows resting heavily on the table and talking with one of the professors you didn’t remember by name.

There was also Professor Sania Yeager, who was actually a famous biologist. Apparently she was taking a break from field work to write her research and teach on the side. The biology students were lucky to have her for the semester. You were somewhat acquainted with Sania, as she had happened to ask you to do some chores for her, like retrieving her mail when she was really busy. You had just happened to walk by her office. As a thank you, you had received a fascinating, private lesson about the frogs of Eos.

That woman could talk anyone’s ear off.

Your gaze moved to see who Sania was talking with.

‘ _And of course, he is here._ ’ Your eyes stopped on Ravus at the same time as your hand set on the handle. You took a deep breath, settled a professional smile on your face and opened the door.

Ravus fell silent mid-sentence. His mouth clamped shut as his eyes pierced you. You had never felt so tiny in your life, but you straightened your posture, ignoring him and walked to sit next to Aranea.

After greeting her, you sneaked a glance at Ravus and winced at seeing him stand still like a stone, eyes fixated on you. He looked almost angry, as if you had interrupted a terribly important conversation between him and Sania by your arrival.

‘ _It’s not my fault that he acts so strange._ ’ You flashed him a scowl, which had absolutely no effect on his demeanor.

“Is that a new lipstick, by the way?” Aranea asked, forcing you to pull your attention from Ravus.

“Actually yes. Is the shade too bright for work?” you asked a tad concerned. So far Aranea had ever said nothing about your clothes or anything else in your appearance.

She chuckled, which was the result of holding back an amused burst of laughter. “No, it looks good on you. I like it,” Aranea said. “And from the looks of it, _someone_ else likes it too,” she added so quietly that you had to lean closer to hear it.

You felt your cheeks warm up. Ravus was sitting in the complete opposite end of the table from you and Aranea, gaze stuck on the empty white board.

You smirked. ‘ _Looks like I have a new addition to my everyday makeup._ ’


	3. Chapter 3

You were beginning to remember most of Aranea’s students by name. You constantly saw their names on paper while grading essays and also heard Aranea address some of the students daily. The first ones to be etched in your memory were the obligatory quota celebrity Noctis Lucis Caelum and his friend Ignis Scientia, who was easily the best of his class. They both were second year students and you attended most of their lectures.

Noctis’s father was the CEO of Caelum Industries, Regis Lucis Caelum. Word was, that the poor boy was groomed to be the next in line for the position and from your standpoint of view, he didn’t seem too eager about it. Occasionally, you even caught him napping in class, only to be called out by Aranea asking had he forgotten his beauty sleep again.

Yet another class of Financial Services Marketing was coming to its end and the students were shuffling about to pack their things and leave the classroom. You stood up stretching your arms and shaking your legs to get the blood circulating again.

“Scientia, come by my office in the afternoon,” Aranea said as Ignis was walking past her.

He stopped with a slightly perplexed look on his face. “Is this about the essay, Professor?” he asked warily.

“Yes, we need to talk about your conclusion in that one. There was some slight room for misunderstanding, so I need you to walk me through your thought process.”

‘ _Huh? That’s the first time I’ve heard her ask a student to her office. I wonder if I could go in and listen…_ ’

Ignis nodded and left with Noctis, who had hovered by, waiting for his friend to conclude his business with the professor.

You packed your belongings and hurried to speak with Aranea.

“Did you get what I said about the government welfare context? How it could affect the possible clientele?”

You nodded eagerly. “Yes, that was very well presented. I don’t think anyone looked like they had a hard time grasping it.”

“Good.” Aranea flashed a somewhat relieved smile to you.

“Could I come by to listen to your talk with Mr. Scientia?” you asked. You assumed you would be invited to join in any case, but just wanted to ask out of politeness.

“Uh, I was thinking of sending you home early today,” Aranea said quickly and cleared her throat. She busied herself with putting her papers back into their respective folders.

You quirked an eyebrow at her. “Okay… Why?” you asked slowly.

“You’ve done a great job, Y/N. You’ve earned some free time,” Aranea explained almost suspiciously casually.

“Thank you. Well, in that case I guess I should start thinking about what to do with that… What did you call it? ‘Free time’?” you said with a grin.

Aranea rolled her eyes to the ceiling. “Hey, if you ever need some time off, just ask. I’m not trying to work you to the bone here.”

“Hehe, thanks Professor.”

In the early afternoon, you were just gathering your things to leave for the day, when you saw Ignis passing by your office. You heard him knocking on Aranea’s door and how she invited him in. The door closed behind Ignis with an unusual click, which signaled that it locked up.

You shrugged, not thinking much of it.

A thump echoed from the office next door. It sounded as if something heavy had been dropped on the desk. You almost went over to see if everything was alright, but then again, no one was screaming for help or anything.

‘ _Maybe she just dropped a book or something,_ ’ you thought and lifted your bag on your shoulder for the commute home.

However, before you could leave the building, you just had to walk past Ravus.

‘ _That glare is something I could have lived without today,_ ’ you though as his gaze flicked towards you. You quickened your pace, keeping a straight face and gripping the shoulder band of your bag.

You swooshed past Ravus; gaze glued to the front, but very conscious of his presence. You did not turn your head to look if he was looking at you as he passed. After a safe distance between you two, you turned to look back at him.

Ravus did the same. His expression was clearly disconcerted by the fact that you had caught him looking – or that he had caught you turning to look at him.

You snapped your head back forward, mind buzzling with thoughts of Ravus – and hit your temple on the doorframe in your haste to retreat.

You yelped so loud that he surely heard it. In your embarrassment and rush to leave his line of sight, you hurried out of the door, almost running to your car on the parking lot. On the way you carefully felt out your temple making sure it was not bleeding. Your head was slightly throbbing from the impact and the skin was prickling.

Still, the physical pain was nothing compared to the embarrassment coiling in your stomach. You had just made yourself look like an idiot in front of Ravus and you wanted nothing more than the ground to swallow you.

At the safety of your car, you slumped into the driver’s seat and sighed heavily.

You flipped to rearview mirror to inspect the damage: The skin carried an angry red streak and was steadily starting to swell into a bump.

You batted the steering wheel in frustration, before igniting the engine.

‘ _Great. Just great._ ’

 

* * *

 

With the terrible headache still pounding on your temple, you perused your first aid locker at home, looking for some painkillers. Thankfully, you found an almost empty packet and as you broke the capsule through its foil container, your eyes landed on a familiar setup of letters.

‘ _Manufactured by Nox Fleuret & Co._’

You returned to stare blankly at the foil after you had gulped down the capsule with some water straight from the tap. You should have known you had heard the name somewhere. Of course, it would be _his_ family business. No wonder he wore all those fancy and expensive looking clothes at work – no normal university professor could afford something like that.

Also you would probably never be able to break the association between Ravus and period pain in your mind.

‘ _Well, since he’s the one giving me a headache, I suppose it’s only fitting that he takes it away too._ ’

With your unexpected free time essentially ruined, you just turned on the television and began making dinner. Maybe some cooking would take your mind off Ravus.

As you splashed oil on the skillet, you wondered did he like to cook. As you turned the frozen vegetables around with a spatula, you thought how his eyes were the palest shade of you blue you had ever encountered and how the color seemed to be the perfect fit for his personality. Needless to say, cooking did not take your mind off Ravus.

The following days you tried your hardest to focus on work and avoiding him around the campus. Your Ravus-radar was in overdrive mode, beeping insistently every time he resided in or even passed the same space you were in. As your heart thumped and blood roared in your ears, you tried not to look at even in his general direction.

But still, _he freaking kept staring at you_.

‘ _Seriously, what’s wrong with this guy?! Did I accidentally drive over his cat or something?_ ’

That tingling feeling as if someone was staring at you was always Ravus. As you walked by, he looked at you, not even bothering to try hiding it. When you entered a room where he was, your eyes laid first on him – and he was already watching at you. Several times you caught him staring at you from the opposite end of the cafeteria.

And all the while he looked as if he was seriously cross at you for something.

 

* * *

 

You had no idea that Aranea was getting tired of the act between you and Ravus, and she had decided to give you a _gentle_ push towards each other. She had invited you to eat lunch with her and you should have known something was up. Aranea usually just assumed that you would eat together, should your schedules permit it and she had no other appointments. But this time, she had given you a time when to meet her at the canteen.

When you arrived at the place, it was already rather packed, so you headed straight towards the end of the line to get your lunch. You tried looking around, but didn’t see Aranea, so you just assumed that she was sitting somewhere at the far end of the hall. Then you hovered forward with the full tray, desperately trying to spot her.

‘ _Ah, there she is! I’ll head over–_ ‘

You saw Ravus with her. Your legs became lead as you paced towards them and your mind was void of everything.

You arrived at the table with miraculously stable hands.

“Hey, you made it!” Aranea said happily. You wanted to throw her an ugly glare, but couldn’t muster it from your astonishment. Did she really expect you to eat lunch with Ravus? You kept your gaze on the tray and took a deep inhale.

“Hey,” you said, trying to sound confident, but it was getting harder to breathe because of your nervousness. You forced another deep, calming breath.

Ravus’s eyes moved; following you as you carefully placed your tray on the table. You looked back at him with an almost challenging look.

“Hello,” he finally said.

Aranea glanced at him, visibly holding back a fit of giggle. “Excuse me for a moment,” she said and suddenly stood up. She headed towards the ladies’ room.

Ravus looked after her almost comically pleadingly.

You cleared your throat and became very self-aware of your every moment. ‘ _Say something…_ ’–you took the fork into your hand–‘ _Come on, just say something_ ’–and pierced a piece of pasta as elegantly as you could– _‘Anything. Come on._ ’

“That is a nice suit. Which label is it?” you blurted. You held the fork in the air in front of you like a conductor.

Ravus blinked, staring at you yet again. Then he blinked again.

Your heart was pounding against your ribcage and you took solace in the thought that at least he should know how to treat a heart attack. You forced the food into your mouth, feeling rather uncomfortable at being stared at as you ate.

“It’s custom tailored,” Ravus said and turned to look at what he was wearing as if he had forgotten altogether. The suit was slim fitted, navy blue shade that brought out his eyes well.

“Oh. It’s a nice suit,” you said again and felt like a complete idiot. You took a daring glance to see Ravus’s reaction and were surprised to see his expression softened. It was nowhere near a smile, but at least he didn’t look downright murderous.

“Is that shirt a Camicie?” he asked.

‘ _So he is smart, hot and knows fashion. Damn._ ’

You were wearing a black dress shirt with smocking on both sides of the button row. It was one of your favorite pieces of clothing for work.

“Yes. Yes, it is,” you replied, frantically thinking on how to ask more about his interest in fashion. “I liked that violet tie on you the other day. The color suits you.”

‘ _Okay that didn’t come out as too stalker-ish, right?_ ’

“Thank you. It was a gift,” Ravus said. He turned his head to the side in a hopeless attempt at hiding his flustering.

‘ _A gift from whom? Not a girlfriend, I hope,_ ’ you thought, but before you could say anything, Aranea came back.

“How did it go with the essay grading?” she asked as she sat down on her place. She instantly dug into her food, completely ignoring the uncanny mood between you and Ravus. You both had completely forgotten about your meals while conversing.

You took a glance at Ravus to see how he was following Aranea’s example.

“I think I did okay. It was pretty straight forward,” you said and spared some of your focus into the pasta portion before you.

“Drop them by when you think you’re done. We can go through some then,” Aranea said.

“Sure, will do,” you replied and stole another glance at Ravus. You ate in silence for a short while.

“So Ravus, about earlier… Did you decide what to do yet?” Aranea turned to him. Her tone was more serious than what you were used to. Your gaze flicked between her and Ravus, trying to read from their faces what the topic was.

“Yes. I’m turning it down,” Ravus replied simply as if he was stating that the weather was cloudy today.

Aranea sighed. “Good. It sounded like a hazard arrangement anyway,” she said sounding rather relieved.

You furrowed your brows. “It’s none of my business, but did something happen?” you asked carefully.

Ravus looked at you with a thoughtful expression. “I was offered a job at the University in Gralea.”

“Oh,” was all you could think to say. You gaped back at him. ‘ _That’s amazing! But he is going to refuse the offer? Whatever for… I couldn’t even dream about working in a place like that._ ’

A smug smile covered Aranea’s lips as she looked at you and then Ravus from under her lashes.


	4. Chapter 4

The next day you were in much better mood than for the whole past week. You kept telling yourself that it was not the direct effect from your first _normal_ conversation with Ravus. You were happily humming to yourself while grading some papers to help Aranea, when someone knocked on your office door.

“Come in,” you chimed.

The door opened almost soundlessly and you looked up to see who needed you.

Looking more lost than a lonely puppy, Ravus stood by the door, hovering over the doorstep. A splur of joy bubbled inside you at seeing him again so unexpectedly.

“Can I help you, Professor Nox Fleuret?” you asked. You heart was beating faster and louder than you would have liked and a brimming smile was making its way on your lips.

“Yes,” he hurried to say, but took a while to continue, even though you urged him with your hand, “Do you know where Aranea is?”

“She hasn’t come in yet, her first lecture starts at ten,” you said bemused. ‘ _Surely he must know that? It’s not even nine yet._ ’

There was no change in Ravus’s expression, but he helped himself inside, leaving the door open.

‘ _Of course, an escape route must be ready,_ ’ you though, letting a hint of amusement flashing through your face.

“Right. Why are you here so early then?” Ravus asked and his pale blue gaze fixated on you.

You furrowed your brows and folded your arms on your chest. “I need to do some work before the lecture.” You tried to sound as nice as possible, so you wouldn’t accidentally signal him that he was bothering you. Or maybe he was, but not in a negative way. The papers could wait.

“I see,” Ravus said. His gaze moved to skim over your office, pausing on the motivational kitten poster on the wall.

“Uh, that’s there as a joke… the poster,” you mumbled as you saw where his eyes lingered. Clearly he did not catch the funny part of it. Oh well, like the poster said: “ _Nobody is purr-fect, but you’re pretty close!_ ”

“So should I tell Professor Highwind you need to talk to her?” you asked taking in a professional tone.

“No, thank you. It’s nothing urgent,” Ravus said nonchalantly. He turned back to look at you.

‘ _Did he come here just to gawk then? Not that I mind._ ’

“Okay,” you said curtly, entertaining the possibility that he had just came by to see you.

“I’ll take my leave now then,” Ravus said. He shifted on his feet, looking… nervous? Uncomfortable? Something in between?

“Okay. Have a nice day,” you wished, mentally slapping yourself for being so lame.

“You too.”

And with that, he was gone from your doorstep. You stared after him, deep in thought for a moment before resuming to your work with the same cheery mood as earlier. Your smile had only grown wider.

 

* * *

 

The following night you didn’t sleep well.

Your heart kept racing when you were trying to fall asleep. You nuzzled your face against the pillow and your smile was brimming as you went through your conversation with Ravus earlier.

He looked like one of those beautiful statues from ancient Solheim you could find in the museum. His features were just perfect and you wouldn’t probably ever get over that fact. How could someone look so cute like a lost puppy and the embodiment of sex-appeal at the same time?

You wanted to rake your fingers through Ravus’s hair and pull him closer in for a heady kiss. You wanted to taste him and tell him how much you wanted him already. Astrals help you. You were seriously enamored by him and your body was aching for him – for his touch and to just simply hear his voice. Preferably whispering some sweet nothings into your hear as you were making love at long last.

You felt so silly with this crush of yours, making you act like a teenager again.

As you opened your eyes, you realized you had been dozing off against your desk at the university.

“Sorry, did I wake you up? The door was open.”

Your head snapped up to see Ravus talking quietly from the doorway. His expression was soft and he regarded you with almost a loving gaze. It sent your heart fluttering and a tender feeling began gathering inside you. Your limbs felt pleasantly numb as he walked over to you after closing the door behind him.

“Did you sleep well?” Ravus asked and leaned against your desk. A small smile had formed on his lips.

“I saw the most curious dream,” you heard yourself replying. You got up to stand in front of him and took his hand that was resting against the desk edge, intertwining your fingers.

“What was it about, my Flower?” he asked.

Your heart made an elated jump at him using your nickname. You gazed into his pale blue eyes and closed the distance between you, pressing your body against him. The overwhelming feeling of safety and familiarity washed over you.

“I can’t quite remember. You were in it,” you said. Somehow you were not flustered or blushing at all, just content at his presence.

“Oh? And what was I doing?” Ravus hummed complacently.

You leaned in for a kiss and his hands wrapped around your waist.

“Being your handsome self as always,” you murmured against his lips and continued kissing him.

Ravus chuckled. His other hand began untucking your shirt from your skirt and the other one was opening your shirt buttons. He spun you two around, so that your butt was leaning against the desk and started tracing small kisses on your jawline towards your ear.

You tilted your head, exposing your neck to him and shook your dress shirt off. A deep, content sigh escaped from your throat as Ravus’s breath tickled your ear and made you shiver.

His hand cupped your breast over the lacy bra you were wearing, while the other one began travelling south on your side.

You began fiddling with his belt, trying to open it.

“Patience, my Flower,” Ravus whispered into your ear.

Since you completely disregarded him, he had to stop his ministrations for a moment to take your hands off his belt. Then he hoisted you on the desk and began rolling the skirt hem up, all the while his lips were leaving their hot marks on the skin of your neck.

Ravus’s fingers caressed your inner thigh. When they finally hit their destination over your panties, you had to slam your forehead against his shoulder. His thumb massaged you in gentle circles, causing you to buck your hips against the touch and moan quietly. Your breaths were getting more and more labored.

“Let’s take these off, shall we?” Ravus’s voice was a sinful whisper against your neck, causing you to shiver.

You took purchase from his shoulders and he pulled your panties off. He placed them neatly on the desk next to you. You felt naked, but your heart was racing in excitement. Ravus’s hands traced your inner thighs again and another moan escaped you as his fingers returned to your slick entrance, finding the perfect spot to coax you into putty under his touch. You jerked your hips forcefully against the strokes.

You opened your eyes and realized your own hand was the one in your panties.

You were breathing heavily and your body was aching. Your cheeks were hot from the embarrassment and sexual frustration. Your panties were definitely wet and ruined from the dream.

‘ _Damn it._ ’

You huffed in disappointment and turned to look at the time – it was still the small hours of the night. You stared at the ceiling in your dark bedroom. Insomnia’s nightly lights cast an eerie, faint glow into the room through the thin curtains.

The uncomfortable wait for your arousal to settle denied your wish to fall asleep again. A pulsating ache was screaming for a touch between your legs and the image of Ravus’s face played on repeat in your mind.

‘ _I’ve talked with him twice and my subconscious is already making me dream about him._ ’

You sighed heavily and turned to stare angrily at the faint glow behind the curtains. It took a good while, before you caught sleep again and to both your dismay and relief, you woke up without any further memories of dreaming about Ravus.

 

* * *

 

Aranea had sent you to fetch some old case files for her student’s presentation. The storeroom was surprisingly large, well-lit and un-dusty, filled with tall, metallic shelves. Some of it was empty, but most shelves were occupied with grey plastic boxes, packed with all sorts of folders and papers.

Luckily, it did not take you long to find the right shelf and grab the box. Out of curiosity, you decided to make yourself familiar with the room to see how big it actually was, so you took the longer route back to the door.

You took a turn after the last shelf row.

“Oh!” you yelped and dropped the file box in your hands. You had to jump back so it would not fall on your toes.

Ravus looked to be in as much of a shock as you were.

“Sorry, you startled me,” you said and crouched to pick up the box. Thankfully, it had only hit the floor with a loud thump and not opened.

“That was not my intention,” Ravus said. He was holding a file in his hands and a box, just like the one you were holding, was open on the shelf next to him.

You straightened your back, standing awkwardly in front of him.

“Did you find what you were looking for?” Ravus asked.

“Yes,” you said, nodding slightly towards the box you were holding. It was unexpectedly heavy now that you thought about it and you weren’t sure should you just put it down for the conversation or leave altogether.

“Ah, right,” Ravus said.

“So, uh,” you stammered, changing your weight from foot to another, “What are you doing?”

‘ _WHAT ARE YOU DOING? What are you, a five year old? Just ask how he is like a normal adult._ ’

Ravus’s brows lifted slightly, but he did not look put off by the question. “I’m trying to find an old thesis on the effects of Sylleblossom.”

“That sounds interesting,” you said and decided to put the box back on the floor as your arms were starting to get tired, “Any luck yet?”

Ravus followed your motions curiously. “No, but it should be in this box, judging by the time stamp.”

“I can help you browse through them, uh, if you want,” you suggested.

Ravus stared at you for a few seconds and you were starting to think that your offer had been too bold.

“Thank you,” he said and pushed the box closer to you.

You flashed a smile to him and took a file. ‘Opiates and Their Meaning to the Lucian Society’ was the name of the thesis.

“Sylleblossom is not an opiate, right?” you asked, scanning through the pages that were written in curly handwriting.

Ravus shot an amused look at you. It sent your heart fluttering. “Definitely not.”

You tossed the file to the side and took another one. How old were these things? Probably ancient, by the looks of it. Everything was hand written. Full minutes passed in silence as you both kept skimming through folder after folder. You cleared your throat.

“So how are you?” you asked.

“How am I?” Ravus asked slowly.

You perused through the file at your hand before tossing it aside. As you were going to grab another, you realized that Ravus had stopped to look at you. His expression was impassive, but somehow it sent a splash of pink on your cheeks.

“What’s wrong?” you asked.

“I don’t know. You tell me,” Ravus replied instantly. His voice was stern.

You gawked at him in utter confusion, your heart racing uncontrollably. “Umm. I’m sorry if I did something to offend you,” you said sheepishly.

“That’s just the thing – the only thing you do is stare at me. I’m not offended, but I’d like to know why, Y/N?” he asked.

His incredibly soft, but demanding voice made shivers run through your spine. At the moment, you didn’t feel like staring at him in the least, but you couldn’t bring yourself to tear your eyes away.

“W-what? You stare at me too!” you said defensively.

Ravus’s eyes narrowed. His presence seemed to grow larger by each passing second spend in the tense silence that had fallen between you.

Then he took a step towards you. Your legs felt like lead and you swallowed.

“Does it bother you?” Ravus husked quietly.

“You don’t even say ‘hi’ to me,” you said in a weak voice.

He came even closer. “Is that what you want?”

“I–, uh, well it would be nice,” you said, barely daring to breathe.

Ravus stood right in front of you, so close that you could practically feel his aura prickling on your skin. You fumbled your hand towards the shelf for purchase. Even though you had not moved an inch, you weren’t sure your legs would hold up much longer.

You drew a shaky breath and Ravus’s scent hit you. His was the nicest, most heady scent you had ever had the pleasure to inhale. Your brutally interrupted dream flashed inside your mind and your cheeks were getting hotter.

Ravus leaned in closer and his eyes flicked towards your lips. Your eyelids fluttered, resisting the urge to shut as his face kept coming closer and closer. His eyes were half-hooded and his mouth slightly open.

Your noses brushed together and you took in another breath, sharply. You closed your eyes completely, feeling his hair strands tickling your cheeks.

“Hi,” Ravus said in a soft, dangerously seducing tone.

You felt his breath on your skin and squeezed your eyes shut tighter. You could feel rather than hear a low, throaty chuckle escape from him. Your pent up sexual frustration was getting the best of you. Ravus was about to draw back.

You could not take it anymore.

You crashed your lips on his, taking him by surprise. He was unexpectedly warm for such a cold personality.

Your lips moved together only for seconds, before Ravus pulled back slightly, leaving you to bite your lip in shame. As you opened your eyes, you were met with his intense gaze.

“I–“ you began in a meek voice, but the words were silenced by Ravus’s mouth pushing against yours.

He pushed your back against the cold metal shelf, causing you to let out a needy moan into his mouth. His hands fell on your hips and pulled your body closer. The touch exploded into a scorching flame inside you, desperate for more. You leapt at the opportunity to rake your fingers through his hair. It was as soft as you had always imagined, but the thought gained very little foothold in your mind as it was filled with the ongoing events.

You felt Ravus’s tongue poking at your lips, urging you to open up to him, so you could deepen the kiss. You complied gladly, letting him indulge you in the velvety, soft feeling. A content hum escaped his throat, sending you to completely throw yourself into the kiss. Your arms curled around his neck.

Ravus’s hands wandered upwards on your sides, feeling out your curves and dips. There was no hesitation in his movements and a part of your mind was occupied with wondering had he planned on doing something like that to you. In any case, you definitely had nothing against it.

Pleasant shivers kept running through your body and you let out an involuntarily moan or two. Each of the sounds caused him to tighten his grip of you and pull you closer until your bodies were completely flush against each other.

Just as you were starting to wonder how far things would go, Ravus pulled back.

Both of your breaths were labored. He looked into your eyes for a second before taking your hands into his and lowering them from his neck to your sides. Your lipstick was smeared across his lips and his hair was slightly ruffled from you touch. Something flashed through his eyes, an emotion you were not quite certain how to phrase.

As he took a step back, then another, and looked away, you became increasingly sure that it had been regret.

“I shouldn’t have initiated that. I apologize–“ Ravus said quietly, confirming your thoughts.

A block of ice fell into your stomach. Your chest felt tight and it was hard to breathe.

“No. It was my fault, I’m sorry,” you said quickly and looked away too.

Ravus gaped at you like a fish out of water as you picked up the box you had come for, turned on your heels and left, leaving him to stare after you at loss of words.


	5. Chapter 5

‘ _I am so stupid!_ ’ you huffed angrily in your thoughts, ‘ _Why do I always fall for someone like that?! Do I enjoy feeling like garbage? Am I a masochist? Urgh!_ ’

You slammed the box of folders down on Aranea’s desk. Luckily, she had not been in her office, so you had used your key to get inside.

‘ _Idiot! That’s what happens when you go making out with a colleague!_ ’

A mixture of desperate anger and hopeless gloom weighted you down. You really should have known. It never ended well, did it? Life was not a movie or a romance novel. Men like Ravus just didn’t magically fall in love with someone like you. You were ashamed of even having gotten your hopes up, but since the accident had already happened, there was not much you could do anymore.

Your mood did not improve during the rest of the day, but luckily you saw no sign of Ravus. You did not fancy the thought of running into him right now.

However, the next morning when you arrived at work, you noticed him by the café door. Your heart sank and not matter how much you willed it, you couldn’t stomp down the shred of hope rearing its head inside you.

You strictly decided to ignore Ravus. He was fixated on you with a cup of whatever fancy coffee he usually drank. You hurried your steps to the relative safety of your office, but he called out to you.

“Y/N! Hold on.”

A chill flushed through your body, raising a wave of goosebumps on your skin and the hairs upon your arms. You halted after another step and carefully turned to look at the approaching man. Your eyes instantly found his lips and you mentally slapped yourself. It was really not the time for longing gazes.

“There’s something we need to talk about,” Ravus said in a surprisingly even tone, as if he was just reading the words from a paper out loud. However, his stare was still intimidating.

“Is there?” you winced and cleared your throat to gain some strength in your voice, “I’m busy,” you continued sternly.

You had arrived an hour early at work to have time to enjoy a cup of coffee in peace and to catch up on Aranea’s teaching materials for the day. But now it seemed you would have to change your plans, since the pathway to the café was compromised by an angry looking, gorgeous man.

Ravus’s brows furrowed and the painfully familiar glare was back on his face.

You almost sighed in relief. “I mean, can it wait?” you asked carefully, really hoping that he would give up.

“Yes, never mind then. I suppose you have more important things to do… being an intern and all.” His voice had taken a step towards the icy coldness. Hurt was evident on his face and it made you bite back your intended response. Instead of saying “EXCUSE ME” in the angry tone that wanted to push through, you said:

“G-good. Excuse me,” and held back the reflex to swallow.

Ravus turned to leave without saying another word, so you took the chance and hurried away. When you closed the office door, you were left alone with your wildly running mind and thumping heart.

Over the following week, you began chastising yourself from not hearing Ravus out. Maybe he had just wanted to apologize, _again_. Or, maybe it had been about something completely different? Nevertheless, he had looked like you had just insulted him in the worst possible way and that erased any hopes of a replay you might have harbored. Ravus Nox Fleuret did not seem like the type to offer second chances easily. The thought made you even more upset because of your own stupid actions.

‘ _This is going to be a miserable semester._ ’

Unless… you would try to do something about it. You paused. You _knew_ the situation was probably unsalvageable. You just did not want to let go. Ravus’s hurt expression played on repeat in your mind along with his cold words. Had he gone out of his way in trying to talk with you? Probably. Did it seem like something he just didn’t do? Absolutely. Had you fucked up? Majorly.

You made a decision: The next time you would see Ravus, you would ask him what he had wanted to talk about. All possible scenarios from another make out session to him getting you fired because of sexual harassment went through your head.

But when the moment of truth finally came a few days later, you were totally unprepared to face him.

You heard laughter and picked up a stack of graded essays to give to Aranea. Ravus was talking with her, casually leaning against the doorframe to her office. The distance from your office to the one next door was longer than imaginable and all the while walking, you stared at Ravus’s gorgeous form. Your palms were sweating and all the openers you could say were heavily judged in your mind.

“H-hey,” you stammered as lamely as you possibly could.

Ravus’s scrutinizing gaze was instantly on you. Aranea called you inside and your legs were numb as Ravus stepped into the office to let you past him. A whiff of his heavenly scent caught your senses.

“Here’s the essays,” you said mechanically and offered the papers to Aranea.

“Oh, thanks. That was fast,” she said with a surprised smile and turned to speak to Ravus: “See? Maybe you should hire an assistant too.”

You didn’t have it in you to turn to face his gaze, but you sure felt it on your back.

“Seems like a waste of time. I’d rather do the work myself to be spared from any further… disputes.” Ravus’s tone was ice cold and you were sure the words contained a spike for you. Your brain just didn’t want to comprehend the thought of him insulting you on purpose.

However, his next words left no place for doubt.

“You’re such a killjoy,” Aranea said and laughed. She flashed a smile for you, which almost made you feel better.

“Well I haven’t gotten a reason to hire one, looking at your intern.” Ravus’s voice was not mean, he simply stated a fact.

You blanched.

“You haven’t seen what she can really do,” Aranea said, taking a defensive tone, but still trying to keep the talk as the light banter it had been before your arrival. Sure, Ravus was often in a bad mood these days, but he had just crept a little below his usual level of politeness and frankly, Aranea was surprised.

“Well pardon me for not living up to your expectations. Excuse me, I have actual work to do…” you heard the words flowing from your mouth, but your mind was numb.

You turned to leave and looked strictly past Ravus as you passed him. Stubbornly you held your breath to not catch even an accidental sniff of his scent. Each step towards your office made you angrier and by the time you closed the door behind you, you had to restrain yourself from turning back to give Ravus a piece of your mind.

‘ _He is a frigid jerk._ ’ You scoffed and sat by the desk, leaning heavily on your elbows. You were really not in the mood to do work anymore as your mind kept coming up with insults to throw at Ravus and having an imaginary with fight him.

Soon you began to realize that all your imaginary fights kept ending the same way: You against the office wall and Ravus’s breath hot on your skin.

You threw a pen at the opposite wall and it rolled on the floor. “Whyyy…” You dragged your palms down your cheeks and grunted.

‘ _What have I done to deserve this?_ ’ you thought and got on your feet to pick up the pen.

‘ _Oh, right. I made out with an insanely hot colleague in the storage room and he regrets it. That’s what._ ’ You heaved a sigh. It was clear that you were not going to get any work done anymore, so you might have as well leave for the day.

Having to keep your focus on the traffic helped to take your mind off Ravus, but as you were greeted by the silence of your empty apartment, all those thoughts crashed right back. You kept chastising yourself of reliving the storeroom scene in your thoughts and simultaneously fantasizing about what could have happened.

Dinner did nothing to keep away the memory of feeling Ravus’s lips against yours. Neither did housework. Before you knew it, you had cleaned your apartment from floor to ceiling and were completely exhausted.

‘ _I might be an idiot, but he’s a total ass_ ,’ you huffed in your thoughts and slumped down on the couch. You stared at the cover of the book that resided on the coffee table. The image was almost spitting at you as it depicted a man and a woman, captured in a searing kiss. Your cheeks were burning.

‘ _Then why can’t I stop thinking about his hands on my body?_ ’

You reached out to turn the book upside down and grabbed the remote.

“What’s with the romance flicks tonight?” you huffed angrily as you kept browsing the channels. ‘ _Not another kiss scene! NO! Not another cringe-worthy sex scene! Urgh!_ ’

Even the documentary channel showed various mating habits of the mammals on Eos and that was too much for you. Eventually you just gave up with the television and went to sleep. Or rather, to scold yourself about thinking of Ravus.

The next morning you felt miserable. Not just because of the badly slept night, but because despite of all the thinking you had done, you still had not come up with any other solution than to stay away from Ravus. The thought made you angry and sad. How had you failed so miserably to judge his character and let yourself get into such a situation? It was unbelievable. And just as much your fault as Ravus’s.

“Is everything okay?” Aranea asked, glancing curiously at you in the midst of her lunch.

You couldn’t help but to heave a sigh. “Yes.” You wanted to thank Aranea for standing up to you when Ravus was being an ass, but somehow you thought it best not to draw any more attention to the matter.

“Okay then…” Aranea said slowly, not buying your curt reply. “Wanna talk about it?”

You let out an irritated chuckle. “Not really. I want to forget all about it.” You bit into your tuna-filled baguette and munched angrily.

“You mean Ravus?” Aranea asked sharply. Her eyes were intently studying your frown that only deepened.

“Sorry, I know he is your friend and colleague, but he is an ass,” you said with your mouth full.

Aranea laughed mirthfully. Your words were the furthest thing from news to her. “He can be. He isn’t usually so rude like yesterday. But don’t worry, I already _let_ him know that.” A mischievous grin spread on her lips and she returned her attention to the food.

‘ _Does she know what happened? No way Ravus would’ve told her…_ ’ You cleared your throat after swallowing.

“Thanks,” you said, “Uh, so what did you say to him?” You tried to sound more disinterested than you were in reality, but there was no fooling Professor Highwind.

“That we are not in kindergarten anymore, so pulling hair is not taken as a sign of affection,” Aranea said and chuckled lightly, “At least not in the stage you guys apparently are.”

Good thing your mouth was empty or otherwise you might have choked. “S-stage? I don’t know what you’re talking about. We are not… in… any…” Your voice trailed off under Aranea’s amused look.

“Well, well. So you _are_ closer to the hair pulling stage than I thought. What happened?”

You looked around you to make sure no one was listening. ‘ _Am I seriously discussing this with my boss?_ ’ Aranea looked expectantly at you. ‘ _I guess I am…_ ’

You managed to pull a thin smile. “We had a moment. And it was a mistake,” you explained, trying to sound as neutral as possible. The make out session so did not bother you anymore. You were completely over Mr. Frigid Jerk.

“Was he any good?” Aranea didn’t bother to hide her wide grin.

A heavy blush flushed your face. Your ears felt hot and you placed your palms on them to cool them down. “That’s not the issue here!” you cried louder than you had intended to.

Aranea laughed, again. “You two are hopeless, really.” She shook her head.

“So, uh–“ you awkwardly started.

“I’ll talk to him,” Aranea said.

“No! I mean, please don’t. I just want to forget it ever happened,” you said quickly. You heart was beating uncomfortably loud in your ears and the blush had only slightly settled.

Aranea sighed through her nose and examined your pained expression. “Understood. Do what you need to do, Y/N.”

You accepted her words with a grateful nod.

Two days passed with you voluntarily holed up in your office with a mountain of paperwork. You dreaded the moment you would eventually bump into Ravus. It was very unlikely that he would try to strike a conversation with you ever again, but you still didn’t fancy the thought of his scornful look upon you.

But as it were, you could not avoid him forever.

Your mind was calmer and not completely filled with guilt and Ravus anymore, when you left your office to go for lunch. Fumbling with your keys and about to lock the office door, you paid no mind to the lonely steps echoing in the corridor. After hearing the satisfying click from the lock, you turned.

The second you noticed Ravus walking towards you, your eyes snapped strictly forward, not allowing yourself another glance at him. You held on to your last ripples of dignity and managed to stay on your feet and not sprint into a jog.

You heart felt tight in your chest and a part of you wanted to turn back to and try to talk with Ravus. You forced your feet forward, clutching into the shoulder strap of your bag.

After the lunch spent thinking about Ravus, _again_ , you had a hard time focusing on grading the essays before you. Again. You read through one, only to realize how you had no idea what it had been about, not to mention the grade it would earn. You huffed in irritation and slammed the pencil from your hand on the desk.

‘ _Urgh, I should just go home, I can’t do anything at the moment–_ ‘

Your thoughts and teeth grinding were interrupted by a knock on the door. Your heart jumped and after a short moment of hesitation, you asked the visitor to come in.

To your relief, it was a woman wearing a curious outfit of green apron and a cap. She held a huge bouquet of flowers. They were a deep shade of lilac, each one growing in a cotton candy -figured cluster. The individual flowers were star shaped, a bit bigger than your thumbnail.

“Miss Y/N?” the woman asked with a bright smile.

“Yes?” you said carefully.

“You have a flower delivery.”

Dumbfound, you reached out to take the offered bouquet. ‘ _Hyacinths? Shouldn’t these things be sold as a bulb in a pot, not as huge-ass bouquet?_ ’ You searched, but there was no card or a note attached.

“From who?” you asked, but were already beginning to guess the answer.

“It was an anonymous sender. Well then, have a nice day!”

You stared at the flowers. Part of you was wondering where you would find a suitable vase for them. ‘ _Anonymous…_ ’

“Wait! What do they mean?” you yelped hastily after the courier. She peeked from behind the door that she had almost closed already.

“Hmm. Purple hyacinths… They mean an apology or ask for forgiveness. With that size of a bouquet, I hope you will.” With a grin, the courier disappeared again.

You slumped into your chair with the deepest frown your face had ever twisted into.


	6. Chapter 6

You had been rendered too stunned to act that day or the following one. You had not caught even a glimpse of Ravus, which was actually a relief since you had no idea what to say to him. He had apologized to you with flowers – a huge bouquet of purple hyacinths.

After the courier had left, you had instantly double-checked online the meaning of the flowers:

‘ _I’m sorry, please forgive me._ ’

You sighed for the hundredth time ever since receiving the bouquet and threw a glance at the mellow shade of purple. You knew you would eventually have to speak with Ravus. You wanted to tell him that his apology was accepted, but you also felt like you owed him one too.

A sharp knock on the office door made you jolt.

“Come in,” you said startled. A second of panic filled you with the thought of Ravus being the one behind the door.

“Ooh, you got flowers! Nice,” Aranea exclaimed after entering. She wore a knowing smirk.

You let out a huff of relief. Her comment had not been a question and now that you thought about it, it was _that_ obvious from whom the flowers were. You blushed lightly and tried to look away to hide the pink shade from Aranea.

“That’s so cute. Hey, are you done with the presentation for tomorrow? There are some things I’d like to add…”

You gladly took the chance be immersed in work and before you knew it, it was time to go home for the day. Aranea had not inquired about you and Ravus, at least not from you. She had thrown some smug glances at the flowers, but said nothing.

‘ _The weekend couldn’t be more welcome_ ,’ you thought and stretched a bit. Maybe you would find some resolve to talk things through with Ravus the next time you would see him. Luckily, you were too busy to consciously think about him over the weekend, since you had a lot to do at home. Instead, your subconscious was hard at work and when you laid your head to the pillow and closed your eyes, it felt as if all your problems concerning Ravus had been magically solved – until you woke up in the next morning and came up with a dozen new issues.

You would have to act soon and push those doubts away if you wanted to even try to salvage the situation.

Monday morning greeted Insomnia with the typical autumn weather. It was raining lightly and the people on campus tried to avoid the puddles spotting the walkways. Filled with self-psyched up determination, you made your way to the campus café. Ravus would surely be there as usual, grabbing a cup of some specialty coffee and looking as gorgeous as ever.

As expected, as soon as you entered the café, you saw him standing some distance away from the counter with a cup in his hand.

You stopped on your tracks. Ravus was talking with a woman.

You slightly adjusted your route so that you would walk past them instead. You heart began pounding like a drum. Who was she? She was _beautiful_. An elegantly dressed blonde with the warmest and sweetest smile directed straight to Ravus. Her hand was laid lightly on his arm as she spoke. Then she moved it on his shoulder and gave him a quick embrace. You could have sworn you saw her placing a light kiss on his cheek.

You averted your gaze and with a hanging head and disappointment welling inside you, you bought a regular coffee to go and left as soon as you could. You felt the pair of pale blue eyes on your back as you hastily retreated. So much for that confidence.

You tried hard to forget what you had seen and focus on work. You even almost brought it up with Aranea. ‘ _Am I really that desperate?_ ’ You huffed and buried your face in your hands. After having struggled so much to find the courage, you couldn’t believe you would just have to give up because of someone else. Were you truly too late with no one else to blame but yourself?

Later the same day on lunch, you saw Ravus sitting with the blonde again.

‘ _So he has a girlfriend… Not that it’s any of my business or anything._ ’ You took another glance at the woman, who was smiling brightly at Ravus.

He seemed to be more relaxed in her presence than you had seen him with anyone else before. ‘ _And certainly more so than with you,_ ’ your mind shoved into your consciousness. ‘ _Well good for him._ ’

You could not help the frown tugging the corners of your mouth downwards. Your heart was stinging and no matter how much you wanted to will the sensation away, it was stubbornly there, reminding you of another failed romantic quest in your life. As if you needed any more in that category.

On your way to the afternoon lecture, you happened to walk past Ravus. The moment you noticed him in the corridor, your whole body tensed and you became very aware of the loudness of your breaths. Maybe he would not see you in the narrow corridor. Maybe you could slip past him by hiding behind the folder in your hand. Maybe he would just ignore you.

Fat chance.

“Y/N, hold on–“ Ravus tried to stop you.

You felt the hairs on the back of your neck stand up and hurried your steps as if you had not heard him. Unfortunately for you, Ravus came after you.

He called your name loudly in a demanding tone that echoed in the corridor, so you could not help but turn to face him.

“Uh, yes?” you said as indifferently as you could. ‘ _Oh Astrals above how can a man be so gorgeous–_ ‘

“Do you have a moment?” Ravus asked. His expression was unreadable, but you could distinguish a hint of something resembling desperation in his voice.

“No!” you rejected hastily.

Ravus raised his brows momentarily before a frown settled on his face.

“I mean, um, I’m super busy right now. Sorry!” You took a sheepish glance at him and left.

Behind you in the corridor, Ravus let out a heavy sigh and shook his head.

After the painfully slow lecture, you buried yourself in Professor Highwind’s teaching materials inside your office. It was exceedingly difficult to keep your mind straight and not let your focus wander. It was really amazing how your brains had the ability to conjure up the image of Ravus when you tried to read about marketing planning.

Market research… you had already done your “research” with Ravus in the store room and the thought had your cheeks burning. You flipped a page. Competition… who was the blonde? What was her business with Ravus? Wait, why did you even care? Marketing plan strategies… oh, you really would need a strategy now if you wanted to get him. Budget… maybe you had something Ravus liked since he had kissed you. He wouldn’t have done that if you didn’t, right?

Marketing goals… this was not helpful at all. You could not focus one bit. Of course you wanted Ravus. You wanted him so bad that your hormones had ended their hiatus to skydive back from being AWOL.

You thumped the book shut and got up to return it to Aranea. You could hear speech from her office to the corridor.

“Did you talk with her?” you overheard Aranea asking.

_‘Maybe I should return later if she has a meeting–‘_

“Not yet,” Ravus replied. His voice made you halt. You fist hovered in the air, unsure whether to knock and interrupt or to just leave.

“Well you should. You’re getting nowhere like that.” Aranea was amused and the tone incited an irritated scoff from Ravus.

 _‘Ah, this is probably about the blonde… I should leave.’_ But you could not move your legs since Ravus’s next words glued your feet onto the linoleum floor.

“ _I know_. She is avoiding me,” Ravus continued. You could clearly hear the words and still weren’t sure had you heard right.

 _‘Are they talking… about me?’_ You were dumbfound and trying to think of a reason for the odd topic.

“Oh, yeah? Can’t imagine why,” Aranea quipped.

“Shut up. Ah, it’s almost four… I need to go. I’m going out for dinner with Luna.”

“Wait a moment, I’ll find that paper for you–“

You stopped listening. _‘Luna? Is she the blonde?’_ You exhaled slowly and inch by inch dragged your feet back to your office, straining your hearing to catch another word in case they reverted back to talking about you.

You closed the door and sat down, deep in thought. _‘Why would Ravus be concerned that I’m avoiding him?’_

 

* * *

 

Later that week you were copying handouts for students, leaning against the table next to the copy machine and deep in your Ravus-filled thoughts. Overhearing him and Aranea talking about you had not helped your feelings to calm down. You still had not had the chance to actually speak with Ravus properly. You were not entirely sure you would even have the courage to anymore.

You heaved a sigh and collected the freshly printed, warm stack of handouts from the tray.

“Excuse me?” a soft voice called next to you.

You flinched a bit from the startle. You had not noticed anyone entering. “Yes?” You raised your head to look at the speaker.

It was Luna – all smiles and white cotton dress shining under the fluorescent lights of the copy room.

You could barely hold back the frown as your stomach dropped. _‘Out of all people…’_

“I was wondering could you help me take copies of these?” she asked and lifted the two papers in her hand. They seemed to be some sort of advertisements for a student gathering. Her gaze was wary, but curious as it scanned over you.

You just stared back at her, utterly dumbfound about how to react to her friendly approach. _‘What is she doing here? Does she work at the university? Is she a student?’_ You inhaled to speak, but couldn’t form anything sensible to say.

“If it’s not too much trouble…” Luna’s smile wavered a bit.

“Uh, of course,” you finally uttered, but folded your arms defensively on your chest. The woman’s presence before you was not least a bit threatening or challenging, but instinctively you were suspicious of her.

Luna huffed in relief. “Thank you. I have no idea how to use the machine,” she said and her posture relaxed.

“Uh-huh,” you mumbled and nodded. You still had a few papers to copy before the handouts were ready.

“So… you’re Professor Highwind’s intern?” Luna inquired.

You were taken by surprise because of the question. Was it something people around the campus commonly knew? You didn’t think so. And why did she have to attempt small talk with you?

“H-how did you know?”

Luna smiled brightly and stepped closer to you. “I’ve seen you with her.”

“Oh.” That was of course the obvious explanation, but it sounded like there was something else behind the notion too.

“I’m Lunafreya Nox Fleuret. I'm an exchange student here,” Luna said and offered her hand to shake yours.

 _‘…Nox Fleuret?’_ Wild thoughts went rampant through you, freezing your insides momentarily before disbelief took root. You could not voice them even in your mind before Luna spoke again.

“Y/N, right?” she asked since you were incapable of introducing yourself in your shock. Sharing her last name with Ravus could only mean one of two things…

“Yes,” you said hastily and switched a new paper into copy in the machine. So she had already known your name and your position. What else did she know about you? This blonde woman was a total stranger, yet her demeanor with you felt like she considered you as a friend. It was both unsettling and heartwarming.

“How many copies do you need?” you asked to change the subject.

“Fifteen or so each,” Luna replied and came to stand right next to you, so she could see how the copy machine worked. She leaned down to look at how the apparatus spat out the freshly printed copies.

You stared at Luna when she was looking away. She had kind, blue eyes and her mouth seemed to inhabit a permanent upward curve. Actually, now that you were able to take a closer look, her face did have some familiar features.

_‘No freaking way…’_

“I’ll show you how this thing works when I have to switch the paper,” you said and thanked the Astrals, since you had succeeded in talking in a normal tone.

“Thank you,” Luna said.

The awkward silence, that you had been dreading, fell. Luna was still eyeing interestedly the copy machine, as if she had never seen one before. Which she probably had not. She was calm and showed no signs of being bothered by the silence in the room.

You obsessively arranged the handouts into neat stacks on the table, just to have something to direct your attention to, and then slid them inside a folder.

“So are you dating my brother?” Luna asked suddenly and turned to look at you. Her tone was somewhat amused and her eyes were glinting.

You winced and the folder slipped from your fingers. You had to make a quick move to slam it against the table side, so it wouldn’t fall on the floor and scatter the papers.

“E-excuse me?” the words stumbled from your mouth before you could think.

“My _brother_ Ravus. Are you going out?” Luna specified. She studied your expression closely.

You gaped back at her. “Haha, I wouldn’t put it like that,” you said laughing nervously, but you were relieved at the confirmed fact that she was _only_ Ravus’s younger sister and nothing else.

“Oh? I’m sorry. It’s not my business anyway, but I was just curious,” Luna said happily.

“It’s okay… I didn’t know he has a sister,” you said sheepishly. It was not like you had been engaged in many meaningful conversations with Ravus.

“Really? It seems I have made a mistake then,” Luna said with an apologetic smile. The machine spat out the last handout and stopped humming. You still had one paper left to copy.

You collected the courage you had been mustering to speak with Ravus, and opened your mouth:

“Has he talked about me?”

Luna let out a light giggle. “Not really. My brother is not exactly the talkative type. But I’ve seen the looks he throws at you. That’s why I thought you were together.”

Your face flushed. “Well, I wish…” you said quietly.

“Ohhh!” Luna’s face brightened up. “Is there any way I could help you?”

“What?!” you yelped louder than was appropriate. “Uh, sorry–“

“Ravus is actually a really kind person, but he has difficulties expressing himself, so don’t mind if he says something mean. He doesn’t mean to upset you,” Luna said almost hastily, interrupting your apology.

 _‘That would explain a few things… ’_ you thought and sighed. The situation would have been comical if you had not still been so taken aback by the mere presence of Ravus’s sister.

“Do you like him?” Luna asked a bit smugly. As if the answer wasn’t written all over your face already.

“Uh, I guess I do,” you said since there was no point in trying to hide it.

“That’s great! You should ask him out since he won’t do it, unless you’d have him at gunpoint.” Luna’s voice was ridiculously excited.

“Thanks, but I should probably just talk with him,” you said noncommittally.

“I can come with you, if you want.” Luna smiled happily.

You mentally squinted to see if there was a hidden slight in the words, but they had sounded sincere. Did she really wish for you to get together with Ravus? Did she have a hidden agenda? And most importantly, why did she think you and Ravus would be good for each other?

“Thanks, but that’s a bit – well, I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” you said slowly. What would it be like to barge into Ravus’s office with his _little sister_ and confess your feelings to him, while she cheered in the background? You didn’t even want to let the mental image gain foothold in your mind.

“Hehe, sorry I got a bit excited there,” Luna admitted.

“How about we copy those papers of yours now?” you proposed, nodding towards the posters in her hand.

“Yes, please.”

Luna offered the first paper for you and you began explaining how the copy machine worked.

You had never had felt so conflicted as when you excused yourself from the copy room. You thought back to your behavior on the last few days, ever since you had made out with Ravus in the store room. Could you possibly have misinterpreted him so badly?

After talking with Luna, you were ninety-nine percent sure that he had wanted to apologize and talk properly about what had happened. Nevertheless, you had mucked up your chances and hurt him in your hurry to avoid discomfort – to avoid him. There was no other way to explain it, or at least you hoped there wasn’t. You had jumped into conclusions way too early considering you really didn’t know Ravus at all.

And the flowers. Oh boy. You really did owe him an apology and a good explanation. No matter was he romantically interested in you anymore or not. The faint glimmer of hope was impossibly indistinguishable, but you held on to it like it was a life buoy.

After your own stupid behavior, what annoyed you the most in the situation was the way Aranea and Luna had reacted. You kept repeating to yourself that they knew Ravus better than you did and you should take their word for it, when they said his behavior was unusual.

_‘Who the hell shows their affection by staring at you for weeks, followed by a surprise make out session and then sends flowers to apologize? Urgh. I need something else to think about.’_

Luckily for you, the perfect subject for distraction was to arrive in the following week in the form of visitors from the University of Gralea.


	7. Chapter 7

Professor Highwind had emailed the visitors’ schedule to you. You printed it out before settling down to examine it. You sighed in relative relief. There was only one event that would require your attention. Actually two, if you counted the possibility of the visitors coming into your class. You made a mental note to ask Aranea not to make you teach while there was a chance for extra audience.

The University of Gralea was the oldest and most prestigious institution on Eos. You knew people who would have committed murder or at least grand larceny to study or work there. It was common knowledge that Professor Highwind had been teaching there before coming to Insomnia. The reason why she had given the position up, however, was something nobody knew.

You thought it best to speak with Aranea as soon as possible about the upcoming visitors. You knocked absent-mindedly on her office door and without thinking further, pushed it open. You kept eyeing the schedule in your hand as you spoke.

”Aranea? Can you– WHAT?!” you screamed after looking up from the paper. The schedule flew across the room in an elegant, low arc and landed under one of the bookshelves.

Professor Highwind was sitting on her desk without a shirt and Ignis Scientia was standing between her open legs. _Fortunately_ , he was still fully dressed, though the couple’s position was extremely compromising.

You were frozen still, staring at the pair who was looking back at you with as much surprise as you were.

All thoughts in the room were on the unlocked door.

“Err,” you almost groaned as a grimace made its way onto your face.

“Little busy here,” Aranea said almost too calmly. Her expression was neutral only because she had no idea how to react. Or rather, how you would react.

Ignis looked flustered and the tips of his ears were beginning to redden. He was going to back away from Aranea, but she had her arms around his waist, stopping him from moving.

“S-sorry!” You stumbled backwards, not taking another look at the pair and slammed the door shut after you. You face was burning. You didn’t return to your office, but instead jogged outside to get some sorely needed fresh air.

_‘WHAT WAS THAT? IS SHE SLEEPING WITH HER STUDENT? OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD, WHAT DOES THIS MEAN–‘_

You wandered aimlessly around the campus and breathed in the crisp autumn air. It was rather chill even during the day when the sun was shining from a clear sky. You were shivering a bit without your coat.

_‘Should I talk to her about this? No, I really don’t want to. It’s none of my business anyway. But isn’t that kind of forbidden..? They’re both adults and it doesn’t concern me. I really shouldn’t–‘_

You looked up when you sensed a presence before you.

“Hello, Y/N,” Luna said happily.

“H-hey,” you said slightly out of breath. You glanced at who she was with and were astonished to see Noctis Lucis Caelum, one of Aranea’s second year students, standing next to her.

_‘Isn’t he friends with Scientia? I wonder if he knows... Astrals please, help me to forget.’_

Shit, you had forgotten to ask Aranea not to have you teach when the visitors arrived.

Noctis regarded you with only a nod and an opening of his mouth that resembled a soundless “hey”.

“Is something wrong? You seem… disturbed,” Luna asked concerned.

Noctis looked from you to Luna and back, but probably didn’t care enough to ask how you knew each other, in case he didn’t already know. He crossed his arms to wait for you two to complete your chat.

“I, uh, I’m okay. Just needed to clear my head,” you replied and let out a nervous chuckle that sounded foreign.

“Did Ravus do something?” Luna sounded even more worried. Noctis’s brows furrowed.

“What? No!” Your head was spinning at the sudden mention of Ravus. For the first time in a while, your thoughts had been completely somewhere else. Good thing his little sister was there to bring you back on track. “It’s just a work thing. Sorry to concern you.”

“Luna, we should go, your lecture starts in five,” Noctis said, glancing at the time from his phone.

“Right. Maybe we’ll see later, Y/N?” Luna said.

You were taken aback. Was it a suggestion? You hesitated before replying. “S-sure. I need to get back too, see you later.”

 

* * *

 

For the remaining of the week, you were kept busier than usual since Aranea had to help to arrange the Graleans’ visit. She pushed all the possible tasks and paperwork to you, but truthfully, you were thankful for the distraction. It meant you had no time to think about having caught your boss with one of her students or about your hot colleague.

Nevertheless, ever since speaking with Luna at the copy machine, you had been again, albeit mostly unconsciously, taking glances at Ravus. He no longer wore a scowl when your eyes met, which happened alarmingly often, but the expression could not be called warm or inviting by common standards either. Each time you saw him, you were reminded of the fact that you still had not talked with him.

It had been two weeks already since your little adventure in the store room. You were way past the time window to bring up the incident. At this point, you needed more luck than bravery to sort things with Ravus.

The Graleans had arrived on the previous day. You had decided to stay in office to take care of the mountain of paperwork instead of going to listen to Aranea’s lecture. But the dull job was interrupted by a phone call from your boss.

_“Hey, this stupid meeting is not even halfway through. Would you mind going to teach?”_ Aranea asked in an exasperated tone. She really was not a meeting person.

“Uh, of course. Wait, but it’s like right now?!” you squeaked after looking at the clock on the wall.

_“The materials are on my desk. You’d best hurry or there will be no one to teach.”_ She chuckled and ended the call.

Despite being embarrassingly late, you marched confidently to the front of the class. You greeted the students and began the lesson as if nothing had happened. Fortunately, the subject was familiar to you and Professor Highwind’s memos were on point. Halfway through explaining the basics of luxury marketing, your eyes landed on an unfamiliar character in the back of the room.

The red-haired man wore a peculiar set of a white dress shirt and a dark long coat. On the table before him was a fedora. His smug smile dashed towards supportive when your eyes met and you stumbled a bit over your words.

For the remaining of the lecture, you avoided his gaze and came to the conclusion that he was one of the visitors from Gralea. And exactly what you had tried to avoid.

With the lesson concluded and a heavy sigh of relief, you exited the classroom after you students. You thought you had made it alright and actually being called to teach abruptly like that had been a good experience.

“Excuse me, miss!” an unknown, oily voice called out to you, interrupting your thoughts.

You turned to meet the stranger who had sat at the back of the class. He had the fedora resting on top of his head and the same smug smile playing on his lips. The sight gave you unexplainable chills.

“Yes, can I help you?” you asked with wide eyes, forcibly keeping your body from shuddering.

“You are Professor Highwind’s intern, I take it?” he paused to see you nod, “It is good to meet you. I am Ardyn Izunia, Chancellor of the University of Gralea.”

You all but blanched. Chancellor Izunia? _You had just given a lecture with him in the audience_. All the things you could have presented or worded better, rushed through your head, rendering you speechless. This was the sort of thing that careers thrived or died by. You felt faint.

“I was truly impressed by your teaching methods. Such admirable ingenuity is hard to find these days.” Ardyn sounded very nonchalant, but his gaze was piercing right through you.

You mouth fell open at his praise. “Ah, t-thank you, Chancellor,” you said with a shaky voice while your head was spinning.

“Please, call me Ardyn. No need to be so formal. We could use someone as hard working and determined as you in Gralea,” he continued.

Your mind stopped racing and a flash of excitement rushed through you. “That is a… generous offer,” you managed to say.

A pleased smile spread on Ardyn’s lips as he regarded you. He took a step to right in front of you and you could distinguish the amber shade of his eyes. Ardyn’s voice was almost silky as he spoke next: “There are many positions someone like you could fill.”

“T-thank you,” you stammered, trying very hard to ignore his tone and the tension hanging heavy in the air.

Ardyn hummed in satisfaction and was about to say something. You couldn’t take your eyes off his.

“You really think she would switch me to _you_ , Ardyn?” Aranea’s amused voice rang from behind you.

Before you realized, you had let out a relieved sigh and thanked the Astrals in your mind for the Professor’s impeccable timing. You were free from the captivating stare.

“Ah, it’s been too long, Professor Highwind,” Ardyn said with a sly smile.

“Clearly, if you need to come all the way to Insomnia and try to steal my intern,” Aranea deadpanned and chuckled afterwards.

“Now, now. I was merely making an offer to her.” Ardyn’s eyes were back on you and you gladly took the chance to let your gaze escape to Aranea instead of him. There was something… unsettling in the man. As charming as he seemed to be, he made the hairs on your arms stand.

“Hah, right. They were waiting for you at the meeting, by the way,” Aranea huffed, “Shall we?” She motioned Ardyn to go first.

“Oh, can’t they manage one meeting… Very well. It was charming to meet you, Miss..?”

“Just call me Y/N. And you as well… Ardyn,” you replied hastily and as politely as you could.

Ardyn chuckled and his gaze bore straight into the back of your head. “Think about my suggestion.” And having said that, he left with Aranea.

You released the breath you had not realized you had been holding. Your head felt dizzy. _‘Work in Gralea? That sounds like a once in a lifetime opportunity. And my semester here is already halfway through. Where did all the time–’_

You turned around to return to your office and almost bumped into Ravus on the way.

“Sorry!” you gasped and tilted your head to see who you had almost accidentally bashed into. Your eyes widened at the sight of him and the familiar, heady scent filled your mind so quickly that you could’ve sworn that you had suddenly gained a heightened sense of smell.

Ravus didn’t say anything. He threw a look at you – was it curiosity? Definitely with a frustrated undertone.

“Apologies, Y/N,” Ravus muttered and before you could process how nice your name sounded coming from his lips, he had moved past you to leave.

“Ravus!” you gasped without thinking and scooted after him.

He stopped and gave a cautious look to you. His brows were only lightly creased and you realized his expression had clear curiosity in it. “Yes?”

You inhaled and Luna’s encouraging smile flashed through your mind. You could do this.

“Can I come by your office later today?” Your voice came out stronger than you would’ve thought.

Ravus’s eyes widened slightly and his mouth opened. Whatever he had waited or hoped for you to say, you had surprised him.

The wave of nervousness finally caught up with you, making you tremble and bite your lip as you waited for his response.

A second passed.

“…Of course.”

 

* * *

 

You held your breath as you knocked on the door three times.

“Come in,” Ravus said from inside. You barely felt the cool metal under your palm as you opened the door to his office.

“Hey,” you said sheepishly, trying to hold on to the leftovers of your earlier bravery.

Ravus was standing before the large bookshelf, the same kind that was in Aranea’s room, and looked at you with raised eyebrows. Otherwise, his expression was unreadable. He placed the book he had been looking at back to the shelf and turned his body towards you.

“Hello,” he said.

You searched each other and you found a hint of curiosity in his eyes. You had not really talked after the kissing episode aftermath and you were wondering from how far you should start.

“So can I help you with anything?” Ravus’s tone was unexpectedly soft and his hand moved to swipe his hair back.

“Yes, actually,” you said and let your gaze wonder about in the room. It was very neatly organized with nothing extra – everything was strictly academic or work-related. Books were neatly placed on the shelves, folders on their own shelf and only a small stack papers on the side of the desk. Even the pencils on it were in a straight row.

You cleared your throat as Ravus was patiently waiting for you to explain yourself.

“I wanted to tell you that I accept your apology, and thank you for the flowers.” You took a few careful steps to narrow the distance between you, causing Ravus to fold his arms on his chest.

Ravus’s gaze softened a bit. “I… see. You’re welcome,” he said and swallowed.

“Also I feel like I owe _you_ an apology,” you said and stopped some paces before him.

His brows furrowed slightly at your words. “I don’t think you have done anything to apologize for, Y/N.”

You chewed your lower lip, trying hard to find the right words to express how you felt in that moment. Maybe you should have accepted Luna’s offer to accompany you to talk with Ravus. That thought and his gentlemanly reply made you let out a single chuckle.

“What’s funny?” Ravus asked, visibly relaxing a bit as his shoulders lowered.

“As it turns out, I’m not very good at expressing myself. Seems like you already heard the peak of it,” you said and laughed dryly, utterly nervous again under the pale blue gaze.

Ravus let his hands fall to his sides. They twitched slightly, as if he was going to reach out towards you, but he eventually decided against it. “Did you have something to tell me?” he asked in the gentlest, most inviting tone you had ever heard from his lips.

A tender feeling coiled inside you and you looked keenly at him. You nodded once and swallowed, trying to force your heart to drop from your throat.

A soft smile carved its way onto Ravus’s lips as he examined your blushing cheeks. You inhaled.

“You’re really… i-interesting,” you managed to stammer. ‘ _Not exactly a confession, but maybe he took the hint. I mean, he did kiss me already and–_ ‘

Ravus took a step towards you. His hand placed on your shoulder and the other one cupped your cheek. He leaned in slowly, giving you ample time to stop him, should you find his advances unwanted.

You could’ve sworn your heart and lungs stopped working in the anticipation. You glanced at his lips and closed your eyes.

The whole set was there again – your noses brushed together, his hair strands tickled your face and now his thumb caressed your cheek.

You tilted your head to meet his lips in a gentle kiss. You could feel his growing smile against you before he pulled back.

Your head was spinning. ‘ _Does this mean he actually likes me back? What should I say? Oh Astrals help me–_ ‘

After a stroke over your cheek, Ravus’s hands left you. A dash of your lipstick was again smeared on his lips and the sight made you heart flutter even more.

“You’re rather interesting yourself,” he husked.

You felt faint and really wanted to sit down, but there was no chair in your near vicinity and besides, you would have rather swooned at Ravus’s feet than left his side.

“S-so what happens now?” you asked. Your voice was almost a squeal.

“Now, Y/N”–another smile spread on his lips–“I need to get back to work.”

You blinked dumbfound. Your hand was slightly shaking as it moved to fiddle with your shirt collar. “Oh– uh, okay.”

“You will come to the theatre this Friday, right?” he asked. As if he had not already checked the attendee list for your name.

“Oh, right. I almost forgot about the theatre and restaurant… Sure, I’ll come,” you said trying to answer in kind to his smile, but felt only a forced grin plaster on your face. Your face muscles were aching from the earlier anxiousness, making a natural smile impossible to achieve.

“Good,” Ravus said simply. There was newly found warmth in his voice and it made your insides tingle pleasantly.

You didn’t have it in you to rip your eyes off his smile. It was such a rare sight and you wanted to imprint every inch of into your memory.

“I should probably let you get back to work,” you said, making zero effort to leave.

“I would appreciate that.”

“I’ll see you on Friday then, if not sooner.” You could not help the hopeful tone in your voice. ‘ _I wouldn’t mind another make out session in the storeroom. Though his office would be a nice place for that too._ ’

Ravus actually chuckled. “Sorry, but I’ll leave for Lestallum tomorrow. I’ll be back on Thursday, however.”

“Oh,” you said surprised. “Have a nice trip then.”

“Thank you,” he said. His gaze was gently examining your face.

“Okay, I’ll go now then. Uh, bye,” you uttered.

“Bye, Y/N.”

You turned on your heels and left the office. This time you let your wide smile show to the whole campus, not bothering to try to hide it. Your feet felt light and your steps were bouncy as your traced back to your own office.

‘ _Maybe the rest of the semester won’t be so bad after all._ ’


	8. Chapter 8

Friday evening took its sweet time to arrive. You couldn’t wait to get all dolled up and wear something nice with the ulterior motive of impressing a certain person. It had been too long since you had gone all out in that sense.

In fact, it had been too long since you had gone out in _any_ sense. You had been too invested in work, burying yourself in books and notes, so after an exhausting day at the university the only thing you wanted to do was slouch on the sofa and relax.

Besides, you only knew a handful of people in Insomnia and none of them were exactly the kind you would have asked to hang out with. The only person you could have considered somewhat of a friend was your boss. You knew some of the other assistants and professors as well, but they were casual acquaintances to you at best.

Then there was Ravus.

You had not seen him after the kiss in his office. Your thoughts had often wandered back into that moment, evolving into salacious daydreams that left you all hot and bothered. Maybe the situation would not have been so bad if you had not already gotten a better taste of him in the store room.

A social gathering with your co-workers was not exactly how you would have wanted to spend an evening with Ravus, but you forced yourself to keep an open mind and take it as an opportunity to act _normal_ with him. Your interactions with him so far had not been consonant to any kind of usual standards and you were painfully aware of it.

When the moment, where you had to start making decisions about what to wear, finally arrived, your wardrobe was full of trash bags and worn-out rags. You sighed heavily. The state of irrational panic reminded you why you didn’t go out more often.

_‘Okay, okay, let’s be sensible now. Ravus has only seen me in work clothes. If I up from that, I’ll be… wearing… shit…’_

You skimmed through the hangers with a grimace and pulled out the dress you had most recently bought. It was not too fancy for an evening out with colleagues as you had originally planned on wearing it for casual birthday parties and such with friends. It was one of those pieces that had looked… odd if nothing else in the clothing rack, but when you had tried it on, you had completely fallen in love with the way it shaped your body.

Hopefully Ravus would love it too.

After checking the forecast that promised heavy showers for the evening, you decided to take a cab to the theater. You also wanted to keep your options open concerning a glass or two of wine, and leave the car home. Moreover, the restaurant you were going to go to after the play was relatively close to your apartment, so you could walk home.

You arrived rather early and looked around inside the lobby with nervous excitement, trying to catch a glimpse of a familiar face.

Ravus was there, just leaving his over coat at the cloakroom counter. You stared mesmerized as he smoothed down his blazer and settled his shirt sleeves better. _It was unfair how ethereally beautiful the man was._

Your feet carried you to his direction with a wavering smile. Your mind buzzed with all possible things to say to him and questions about how to behave when there were others at present too. No lingering gazes, no touching and most certainly no kisses… You would have given a lot to just be alone with Ravus for the evening, despite being utterly nervous about being near him.

You shook your coat off and offered it to the cloakroom staff member with a greeting and a thank you. He gave you a tag in exchange. Then you skittered after Ravus, who had disappeared into the restaurant area, where they sold drinks and pastry to be enjoyed during the interlude.

_‘Good, he’s still alone,’_ you surmised in relief and took a deep breath to calm down. Every step that brought you closer to Ravus made your heart thump louder in anticipation. What would he say to you? Would he be glad to see you? Would he show it? The steady pace of your heels drowned in the cacophony of the crowd.

He noticed you a few steps before you stopped in front of him. His expression melted instantly.

“Hey,” you said smiling shyly. You could feel your pulse in your ears in the midst of your shallow breaths.

“Hey,” Ravus replied. His gaze was almost gentle as he took a look over you, eyes lingering on your lipstick. You had made extra sure it looked flawless for the evening.

“How was Lestallum?” you asked, voice fumbling for a normal conversing tone.

“Dull.” A small smile played on Ravus’s lips. You could have well gotten used to seeing that rare expression on him.

You wanted to ask what was wrong with Lestallum, but suddenly Aranea joined you with a glass of red wine her hand. You and Ravus stared baffled as she drank it down in one long gulp.

“Don’t ask,” she huffed. Her tone was irritated. Then she took a prominent look from your head down to your toes and let out a playful whistle. “Looking good, Y/N.”

“Thanks,” you muttered and took a sideways glance at Ravus who seemed to silently agree with Aranea. It made you feel a bit better about her interruption.

After that short exchange, you didn’t have any more chances to talk alone with Ravus at the theatre. The group of co-workers grew larger quickly and you had to settle for sending inconspicuous, totally not longing, looks at him. Each time he caught your gaze, the rare smile on his face grew a little warmer. It sent the butterflies into a fluttering flight inside your stomach. You had a dear secret with Ravus that you couldn’t wait to expand.

It had been some time since you had been to the theatre. You tried to enjoy the play and not think about the man sitting a few seats away from you. While the experience was as pleasant as usual, you had a hard time being engrossed by the story unraveling at the stage. You ended up spending more time wondering about would you be able to concentrate if Ravus had not been there, than actually focusing on the play.

During the first intermission, you followed Aranea’s example and hastily sipped down a little bit of wine. The mellow taste rolled on your tongue, luring you into loosening up. You were conversing with Aranea and the psychology professor, who was a quite lively man in his mid-forties. Ravus was talking with Professor Sania Yeager, but he was well aware of the way you stole glances at him as you sensually lifted the wine glass on your lips, giving the rim a lick before it touched your lipstick.

You couldn’t say if you were making him uncomfortable, but he was _definitely_ feeling something. And you were thoroughly enjoying it, waiting for him to make the next subtle move in your secret game of coquetry.

As the evening went by, you were still eluding Ravus’s company directly, but at the restaurant he boldly sat right across you next to Aranea. You were quite pleased, and nervous, by this turn of events.

“Did you enjoy the play?” Ravus asked nonchalantly after your company had ordered their starters. The question was meant to everyone in his near vicinity, but his pale blue eyes were fixated on you.

You looked at him from under your lashes and sipped water, again giving the glass a quick lap so your lipstick wouldn’t stick on it. The slight widening of Ravus’s eyes made your mouth curl into an almost devious smile that you had a hard time hiding. _You really had him._

“Don’t know about the historical accuracy, but it was entertaining. The main character was an idiot. Good acting, though,” Aranea quipped as a reply. Luckily, she wasn’t paying attention to the leers you were trading with Ravus. It was easy to be daring when there were others around, but in the back of your mind you were sure that you would have not flashed such audacious looks at Ravus alone.

“What about you, Y/N?” Ravus asked, his eyes never leaving yours. His arm was resting on the table and there was a searching look on his face. You were sure he was holding back a smirk too.

You placed the water glass carefully back on the table. “It was alright. I’ve seen better and worse.” You thought about the plays you had seen back in Altissia. There certainly was a different feeling to theatre in Insomnia – one you were not yet sure did you like. The intriguing half-thought of going to see another play with certain someone crossed your mind.

“Really? You go to theatre often?” Ravus questioned with slightly raised brows. He looked a tad surprised, but curious. Maybe you didn’t strike him as the type to enjoy high culture? You were pretty sure you would have enjoyed any type of activity with him, cultural or not.

The dining went by pleasantly as you discussed the play before the talk turned into other topics; politics, history, recent news, impressive random facts – Ravus had it all covered. You listened in awe, sometimes commenting, but mostly focusing on listening to his voice. You had never had the pleasure of hearing him converse so freely. There was a newly found softness in his tone, that you recognized having heard only in his office before he had kissed you. It made your body tingle pleasantly and kept an unwavering smile on your lips.

Towards the end of the main course, Aranea engaged you into a conversation. She had not held back on the wine and you were starting to wonder if everything was alright with her. Naturally, your thoughts turned into the dreadful moment, when you had stepped into her office without knocking. Lesson learned. Lifetime traumas acquired. _Never again._

However, it was not the time or place to bring up her clandestine ventures with Ignis Scientia, so you just tried your best to keep her mood up and glass full of her favorite wine. Even if something had happened, Aranea was not really one to mope and she was as full of zest as ever.

It occurred to you that it was the first time you had seen her out of office hours. The fact that your boss acted pretty much the same on her free time, aside from the alcohol, as she did at work, was both amusing and slightly daunting. You had to admire the confidence in her behavior and your already cordial admiration towards her only widened.

Only after taking a sip of your third glass of wine, when you were getting ready to order desserts, you were able to muster enough courage to take part in the same conversation with Ravus.

And you immediately regretted it.

Ravus was yet again talking with Sania on his right side and all your unvoiced questions about their shared interests were answered.

They were talking about flowers; the flowers native to Tenebrae, to be specific.

Flashbacks of the store room, where you had briefly helped Ravus with something concerning Sylleblossoms, filled your mind. Slight heat rose to your neck, but you stayed on the lookout for a chance to comment the subject.

“Yes, yes. They carry quite the resemblance to Gentianas, but I’m afraid that their traits are quite different. You see, Sylleblossom is a very curious flower–“

You knew they were blue and that was about it. You had never even seen one. Besides, how was one supposed to actually take part in the conversation since Sania could apparently talk without pausing to breathe?

“–So I suggested to the research team that they should try exploring its culinary uses! I’m sure you have tried Sylleblossom infused tea, being from Tenebrae as you are–”

Ravus looked amusedly at Sania, who kept going on and on. His expression was relaxed and he seemed interested in what the other professor had to say. The talk kept steering towards more scientific side of Sylleblossom research and you realized that you had lost your chance to take part in the conversation.

You gently whirled the wine in your glass, praying in your mind for the waiter to arrive soon to come take your dessert orders.

When you finally got to dig into the delicious sorbet, Sania had calmed down, leaving Ravus to focus on his cup of fancy specialty coffee. You studied him as he gave it a few stirs, then laid the spoon on the saucer and lifted the cup to his lips. He took a careful sip, eyes briefly closing to enjoy the exquisite taste. You were completely entranced by the sight and had already forgotten about the dessert slowly melting in front of you.

As Ravus placed the cup down, his eyes were on you and a light smile decorated his features.

You hastily busied yourself with the sorbet, trying to look as elegant as you could, when you dipped a spoonful into your mouth. Ravus’s staring was making your heart stammer and a nervous beam pushed shamelessly through your defenses.

“Is it good?” he asked, gaze still intently examining your face. You hoped that your lipstick was still in shape.

“It’s quite sweet, actually,” you replied and carefully scooped another spoonful.

Ravus sipped his coffee. “Do you like sweet?” he asked.

Your cheeks felt warm. There was something so endearing in the small, innocent question that you had to avert your gaze from him and resist the urge to bite your lip before replying.

“Depends on the kind and amount of sweetness…  Fruity sweetness is good. Plain sugary is just icky,” you said pondering.

_‘What the hell am I even talking about…’_ You grimaced internally. The sorbet melting on your tongue was just at the top end of sweetness you still enjoyed. You considered yourself more of a pastry person, but everyone needs something sweet once in a while regardless of the form.

Ravus opened his mouth and inhaled as if to say something, but ended up just closing it and smiling warmly.

You raised your brows at him in question, but didn’t get any kind of answer.

Ravus sipped his coffee again. He seemed to loosen up a little more and for a moment you focused on your sorbet too.

“Luna told me you helped her with something,” Ravus changed the subject.

You tilted your head, thinking about what he was talking about. “Hmm? Oh, right. I showed her how the copy machine works,” you replied and wondered how much Luna and Ravus had talked about you. The thought made you feel a bit giddy inside.

“Thank you.” Ravus’s voice was so sincere and warm that you had to look up to him from the dessert.

“O-of course,” you said slightly confused, “So what is Luna studying?”

Ravus took another sip of the coffee before replying. Somehow he seemed to be more relaxed than you had seen him for the whole evening. You were glad that you had found a subject you could talk about – even if it was his sister, who you had only met a handful of times. Luna seemed to be a really nice person though. And it was nice to know at least someone supported you in this endeavor.

“Theology. She’s here just for the semester for exchange and doesn’t have many friends,” Ravus explained, gaze again studying your face. He really wanted to ask about the look on your face when you had seen him with Luna for the first time, but luckily decided it wasn’t the right place for that.

“Really? I saw him with Noctis Lucis Caelum from Aranea’s class,” you said nonchalantly. Your sorbet bowl was almost empty and you tried to scrape the last melted bits without any excessive noise.

Ravus’s eyes narrowed and his mouth pursed into a thin line for a second. “With Lucis Caelum, you say?” Suddenly his tone was ice cold and you looked at him with surprise.

“Yes. Is something wrong?” you asked concerned. So Ravus had a reason not to like him? You had been under the impression that Mr. Lucis Caelum was a decent young man, though he had the tendency to nap during classes. You had had to snap him out if a few times too. Aranea always seemed to treat his snoozing with humor, so you had followed her example.

“…It’s nothing. I hope Luna hasn’t been too ardent around you,” Ravus said, quickly regaining his former kind demeanor of talking. He could deal with the Noctis-issue later.

You chuckled gently. “She is the heartiest person I’ve ever met.”

“She has a tendency to that,” Ravus commented with his mouth curling into a light smirk. You could tell from the way he talked about Luna, that he was a caring big brother and honestly, it was quite surprising.

Everyone seemed to be done with their desserts and as soon as the bill was paid, the entourage began gradually contracting, leaving you, Aranea, Ravus and a few others to finish up their drinks. You obediently wished a good night to the people who were parting. You wanted to leave a good impression even on the co-workers who you barely knew by name.

Because you were feeling slightly more comfortable in the smaller party, casual conversation kept flowing from your lips easily. You were also quite content at the normal discussion you had been able to keep up with Ravus, though the latter part of it had been mostly about food and you had embarrassed yourself by talking about the tasty chocolate cake your grandma always made for your birthdays back in Altissia. At least it had spurred Ravus into talking about Altissian pastry, which in truth was the only type of food conversation you really cared for.

After the table was filled only with empty glasses, your small party got up to leave. You kept a close eye on Ravus to see what he was going to do and tried to frantically think of a way to continue the evening with him.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only a few more chapters left!

Outside the restaurant the evening air was crispy and cool, making you to wrap your coat tighter on. The streets of Insomnia were lit and filled with people spending their evening.

But your arranged schedule for the night was played out and so it was time for you to head home. You turned to glance at Ravus and caught him looking at you, a hesitant expression on his face. You waited for him to catch up with you while the group was stalling in front of the restaurant, saying goodbyes and wishing good night to each other.

Ravus walked up to you and you noticed how he subtly looked around to see if anyone was paying attention to you.

“I had a really pleasant evening. Thanks for the company,” you said and instantly facepalmed mentally. _‘No, Six damn it. That just sounded like a goodbye–‘_

“Likewise,” Ravus simply replied. His small, heartfelt smile made a continuation of the talk difficult for you. You tried to settle your mouth into an upward curve, but he was sidling closer to you, shutting down every conscious action of your body.

You were standing closer to Ravus than what was appropriate for co-workers. Your heart was thumping wildly and your every breath was trying to catch a whiff of his scent. There was something both safe and dismaying at the fact that you were not alone, but you were eager and terrified at to be left so. The cheerful chatter coming from behind you sounded distant and meaningless.

“How will you get home?” Ravus asked so quietly that no one else could hear.

He wanted to reach out to you so badly, to feel your skin under his fingers. To see how you would respond to his touch. He had been confused and holding back for the evening since he didn’t know how to act around you. Now that you stood right in front of him with no obstacles between you, painted lips slightly parted and gaze attached into his, everything was clearer.

It felt right. _You_ felt right.

You were eager to find out any hidden meanings behind Ravus’s question, but before you could tell about your intentions of walking home, your sacred moment was rudely interrupted again.

“Y/N! Guess you don’t wanna share a cab?” Aranea shouted. She was definitely drunk and throwing some lewd smirks at you and Ravus, who took a quick step back to put some propriety between you two.

With burning cheeks, as if you had been caught red-handed from a forbidden act, you declined politely. You tried to let the awkward smile linger on your features as an offer of reassurance. Ravus was looking at anywhere else, but Aranea. He seemed quietly amused about the situation whereas you were more disturbed.

“Alright, have a nice night, _you two_ ,” your boss wished with a knowing grin. Great.

You groaned. _‘Thanks for the implication, Aranea. Very tactful.’_ Not that there was any point in trying to hide it from her. You just weren’t eager to face the smug grins and straight questions at work on Monday morning.

“Thanks, you too,” you replied aloud and turned back to Ravus. Everyone else had either already left or moved ahead to grab a cab home. You were finally alone. Your heart began pounding against your ribcage at the realization. You shifted on your feet, trying to find any words to say.

“Will you share a cab with _me_?” Ravus asked, raising his eyebrow in slight amusement. If he felt any fraction of the nervous excitement you did, he did not show it.

“Uh, actually I was going to walk home… I live only a few blocks away,” you explained heart still racing and hand motioning on its own towards the general direction of your apartment.

“Oh, so... May I walk you home?” Ravus proposed gently.

You were surprised and pleased at his display of chivalry and nodded. Your corners kept tugging upwards into a silly smile. At least things had gone better that anticipated. Your evening with Ravus would not end just yet.

You began pacing leisurely towards your home, completely forgetting about the heavy showers the forecast had promised. The first topic that crossed your mind, poured out of your mouth.

“So why do you teach? Don’t tell me it’s because you love teaching,” you deadpanned utterly nervous.

You had never before been so conscious of your every step. You had no idea where to place your gaze – you were already so used to staring at Ravus from afar, but now that he was within an arm’s reach and you were alone, it felt too intimate to keep your eyes peeled on him.

He seemed to be thinking among the same lines as his gaze kept bouncing off your face and back again.

“Actually, I do rather enjoy it. Writing a research can be lonely sometimes and teaching keeps my mind spry,” Ravus said. The normal, soft conversing tone that had become increasingly familiar to you during the course of the evening coddled your sense of hearing again.

The reply made you smile and the wine you had drunk earlier added to the width of it.

“So you don’t have anyone to… do research with?” you inquired. You could not comprehend where the sudden suggestiveness in your tone stemmed from, but apparently the wine was afflicting you more than you had realized.

Catching the change in your tone, Ravus glanced at you with his pale blue eyes. “Technically I work with the team back in Tenebrae for our company. But no one here, no.”

“I’d really like to see what kind of research you do. Uh, unless it’s something top secret, then I of course understand,” you hurried to say.

Ravus was surprised by your interest in his work. “No, it’s not that secret. Though, it would require a greater understanding of the field, which you obviously don’t possess,” he said. If it not had been for his almost cheerful tone, you would have thought that he had just tried to insult you.

You cocked an eyebrow at him nevertheless.

“A-apologies, I did not mean to–“

“It’s okay,” you cut in and grinned lightly.

Ravus’s alarmed expression softened. “You’re more than welcome to come see my research whenever it suits you.”

You could not help the nimble pink creeping onto your cheeks. ‘ _I wonder how that would end…_ ’

“Watch out, I just might take you up on that offer,” you said, trying to make light of the subject and sound more confident than you really felt.

Ravus chuckled and turned his blue gaze at you again. “I’m already looking forward to it.”

Now your cheeks were definitely hot. You hoped that the cover of dark in the dimly lit street would hide your flustering. You realized that you were almost halfway to your apartment already as it had not been a long walk from the restaurant. You began frantically poking your brain to come up with some decent topic.

You glanced at Ravus to see him smiling relaxed. The sight made your chest tighten and your heart flutter.

“This is nice,” you blurted suddenly. ‘ _WHAT ARE YOU SAYING TO HIM?!_ ’ You slapped your hand on your mouth, but it was already out there. It must have been the wine.

“Mm?” Ravus hummed in inquiring tone, “What do you mean?”

“Uh, I– uh… the city! Is nice! Whoa, look at all those lights. Sure wasn’t so bright in Altissia at this hour,” you stammered and laughed nervously.

Ravus seemed to completely ignore your silliness. “It’s really different from Tenebrae,” he said, lost in some distant memory.

“What’s Tenebrae like?” You grasped gladly the topic he was offering.

“More… open. My home is surrounded by nature. Insomnia feels strangling in comparison,” Ravus explained slowly, clearly thinking carefully what to say. “Tenebrae is very lush and green. The ground still has a kind of magic in it that can be found nowhere else.”

You looked up to him with wide eyes. “Magic? Like _actual_ magic?”

No wonder he was so ethereally gorgeous.

“Don’t think that the legends about the Astrals are just stories,” Ravus noted with a chuckle.

“Hm. You’re right. I’d love to visit Tenebrae. It sounds very different from Accordo,” you replied. At least Insomnia was by the sea and you could go down to the harbor to enjoy the salty air when you missed home. Your steps were light and you hardly noticed the small droplets plashing on your coat.

Ravus hummed in agreement. “It is. Tenebrae is very mountainous, but I think there are actually similarities in the architecture.”

“So what kind of building is your home back there?” you asked truly curious. You knew Ravus’s family owned the Nox Fleuret & Co. medical company, so his house wouldn’t probably be just a cottage in the mountains.

He seemed a bit hesitant to reply and you were about to pull back the question just when he spoke up. “It’s called Fenestala Manor… It’s really difficult to describe. I suppose my home isn’t your typical architectural solution. It is high in the mountains of Zoldara Henge, connecting several areas with bridges.”

You listened in awe as Ravus talked about the white stone walls and pillars rising high into the sky, the countless amount of rooms in the manor and how the ground seemed to float in the air only by magic. After living his whole life with nature just outside the window, you could well understand him feeling suffocated in Insomnia. The crown city had huge parks, but those were different from wild nature. Everything was neat, organized and set in its own place. Tenebrae had freedom in its unreserved wilderness.

You had known that Ravus’s family was pretty well-off, but you had not realized just _how_ wealthy they were. Suddenly you felt intimidated, but also understood his obvious reluctance in acknowledging you and his feelings of infatuation. It made painfully perfect sense that someone like him would be careful about women approaching him. Though, technically you had not approached him. You had just… stared at each other.

“What about your family? Is Luna your only sibling?” you inquired further since you had already grazed the subject of your families. The rain was slowly growing heavier, so you automatically hurried your steps.

Ravus huffed a small sigh, but thinking of what to tell you about his family made him smile nonetheless.

“Yes, Lunafreya is my only sister. I lived with her and our mother Sylva”–he took a side-eyed glance at you to see if you would react upon hearing the name–“until I moved to Insomnia to study.”

“And here you still are,” you ended.

“Besides a few short-term residencies in Tenebrae, yes.”

Just when Ravus finished his sentence, the rain turned into a downpour. You yelped in surprise before the sound turned into an incredulous laughter.

Sans an umbrella you both were completely drenched in mere seconds. At least the forecast had done its job, even when your memory hadn’t. Maybe you had been too occupied with Ravus to think about such minor details as heavy rain.

“So much for the lovely evening stroll,” you laughed, shaking your coat of the excess water. The motion did absolutely nothing to help you get dryer.

“Let’s hurry,” Ravus said and offered his hand to you.

“Yeah, it’s not much further,” you replied.

You took his hand with a beaming smile, rainwater running down your forehead. You had to blink continuously to prevent it going into your eyes. Ravus’s silvery hair was plastered onto his face, but his expression was amused, mirthful even. He intertwined your fingers and your heart swell from delight.

You focused on jogging forward in the torrential rain. The distance of the few blocks left was covered quickly and you steered your steps into a halt at the front door of your apartment building. You rushed inside the corridor to take refuge from the downpour.

Both of you spent a moment in incredulous huffing and chuckling while trying to shake the excessive water from your absolutely drenched clothes. Ravus combed his wet hair back with his fingers, trying to keep it from plastering onto his face again.

 _‘If my panties are swamped, it’s not because of the rain,’_ you thought, biting your lip as you watched him.

For a moment, the loud hammering of the rain was the only sound in the hallway.

You cleared your throat.

“Thanks for walking me home,” you said more meekly than you had intended to.

“It was my pleasure, Y/N,” Ravus asserted. He was standing a bit too far from you and you hoped he would close the distance and finally kiss you since you were alone.

An involuntarily wave of shivers travelled through your body. It was no wonder that after being soaked in the rain you were cold. Hopefully you wouldn’t get sick.

“You should go and change into something dry,” Ravus recommended, noticing the slight tremble of your lower lip. It made him unconsciously take the necessary steps towards you.

 “What about you?”–you inhaled to settle your shaky nerves and took his hand; it was as cold as yours–“I mean, why don’t you come up? At least to warm up a bit until the rain calms down… Ravus.”

Hearing his name softened the slight furrow of Ravus’s brows. He let out an almost theatrically exasperated sigh, but you could tell that it didn’t reflect his true feelings at all.

“If you insist, Y/N–“

“I do,” you quipped back, biting back your triumphant smile.

Ravus chuckled and slightly shook his head in amusement. “Very well then. But first…”

He cupped your cheek with his free hand and leaned in close. His breath fanned across your face and your heart was fluttering in expectancy and elation. How did Ravus seem to be so calm and collected? Another forced wave of cold made you shiver.

“…But first?” you questioned with a mere whisper.

Ravus’s lips pushed against yours and you leaned forward, taking purchase from his chest. Your head was spinning as you kissed slowly, enjoying the sensations of your bodies growing warmer. The tension that had been present the whole evening crumbled with that kiss and formed into a different kind of excitement. You felt it in the pit of your stomach that the butterflies had left exposed after taking flight.

Your lips massaged together tenderly, tongues curiously peeking to taste one another. You didn’t feel cold anymore, but you were too afraid to make any movement lest the long-awaited kiss would break.

Ravus’s hand circled from your cheek to behind your neck. His fingers were cold, which made you flinch and let out a startled moan. “Mmh!”

He instantly yanked his hand away and pulled back. “Sorry,” he apologized breathily. His expression was concerned and dismayed at his own carelessness.

You huffed and let out a chuckle while still shivering. “It’s fine. Let’s go warm up.”

As you waited for the elevator to arrive and take you to the right floor, you were glad about having cleaned the apartment only on the day before. No embarrassing pieces of lingerie on the couch or dirty plates in the sink – or not at least if memory served you right.

You opened the front door and invited Ravus inside. He had already taken his soaked coat off and he hanged it on the vestibule stand before taking his shoes off.

After peeling off your own coat that had plastered unpleasantly on you, you made a beeline to grab a towel for Ravus and then excused yourself to put on some dry clothes in the bedroom. As you opened your wardrobe, your heart began picking up its pace again.

‘ _Okay, just breathe. Only the most gorgeous man on Eos is in your living room._ ’ You browsed through the hangers. You really didn’t want to put on sweat pants. Who knew what the night would still bring?

‘ _Would it be too weird to put on another dress?_ ’ You scanned a snug, black dress that you were very fond of. It accentuated your curves perfectly, but it way too fancy for the situation. You were not trying to seduce Ravus. At least not openly.

‘ _Maybe some other time_ ’–you moved onwards inside the wardrobe–‘ _How about something more casual? Yoga pants? Well, they would make sense at this hour, and they make my butt look good. But… maybe not._ ’

Since you didn’t want to keep Ravus waiting for too long, you settled for a pair of leggings and a long-sleeved tunic. They were comfy and looked good enough. You didn’t want to appear too prim.

After checking and fixing your makeup, you skipped back to the living room to find Ravus sitting on your couch, still drying his hair on the towel.

‘ _Oh Astrals, can he not look so sexy?_ ’

Ravus turned and visibly swallowed at the sight of you. You grinned. His reaction ignited a giddy, satisfied feeling inside you, and you made sure to let your hips sway as you walked to him. His hair was disheveled and still damp from the rain.

“I’ve got a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc in the cooler. It would be a waste to drink it alone,” you purred as seductively as you could.

Ravus raised an eyebrow at you. “Maybe I could help you with that.”

You fetched the perfectly chilled bottle and two wine glasses, then placed them on the coffee table and sat next to Ravus – a little closer than you normally would have in your prudence, but you wanted to continue from where you had left off in the hallway.

Ravus elegantly poured two inches of the pale gold liquid into both glasses. He passed the other one to you, making your fingers brush together as you took it. The touch sent a hot wave through your body.

You smiled at him before taking a sip. The wine was crisp and fresh on your tongue.

“It has a rather floral aroma… There’s definitely the flavor of gooseberry, don’t you think?” Ravus said after tasting. He closed his eyes to smell the wine again and you gaped at him in bafflement.

‘ _And naturally, he knows about wines too._ ’

“Mm. I think I can taste a hint of vanilla,” you said and continued: “I must admit; I really know nothing about wines.”

Ravus’s lips curled ever so slightly upwards and after another sip, he placed his glass on the table. “There’s a winery in Tenebrae that mainly uses Moscato grapes. You would like it – it’s very sweet and fruity compared to Lucian wines.”

“Oh, I would love to try it,” you said excited. If Ravus recommended something _especially for you_ , you were sure you would love it.

As the wine glasses emptied, your conversation became more intimate and your topics more personal. Ravus seemed to be indefinitely fascinated about your life – your background, your hopes and dreams, what kind of Sunday you thought was the best. He was not one to blabber, but listened patiently at your lengthy-in-comparison explanations.

You had lifted your legs onto the couch, your knees resting against Ravus’s thigh as you leaned to your side to face him. You were feeling rather comfortable with him, but still you could not stop thinking about how gorgeous he looked as he swiped hair strands from his face. His fingers were long and nimble, his motions ridiculously graceful and you felt like a garula compared to him.

But it didn’t really matter. Ravus was there with _you_ and no-one else.

Eventually, you let your hand rest on his thigh and it didn’t take long before he pulled you into a kiss from your chin. He tasted like the wine you had been drinking for the better part of an hour already. There was a certain ease in his motions this time. No rush, but no holding back either – just the readiness to see where the night would lead you.

As his tongue massaged over yours, you felt like melting into his arms. Content sighs kept constantly escaping from your lips. Each of these vocal approvals of your pleasure made Ravus pull you closer, until you decided to take the next step and straddle him.

His evident arousal bulged against the junction of your thigh and his hands snaked under your tunic. You shivered at the cool touch on your bare skin.

Feeling your trembles, he pulled back to look into your eyes. Your foreheads leaned against each other.

You drew in labored breaths as his hands circled on your ribs and back, making your cheeks feel hotter with every caress and the ache between your legs even worse.

“Ravus…” you breathed out. You pushed your body lower, grinding against him.

“This is not the best time… We’ve been drinking,” Ravus pointed out, but his hands continued their wandering, creeping closer and closer to your breasts and panties’ waistband with each round.

“Mhm,” you mumbled, tugging your lower lip between your teeth. You wanted him to touch you so badly. A hungry fire was scorching your core and feeling his bulge gradually grow against you did not help to cease the flames one bit.

“I don’t care,” you hummed and crashed your lips against his.

He kissed you back vigorously, but pulled his hands away from under your clothes. Your body protested against the loss of touch, but you could not vocalize your thoughts as Ravus kept kissing you hard.

With slightly trembling hands, you were about to start opening the buttons on his shirt, but his hands grasped yours and stopped you. He broke the kiss, turning his head a bit to the side so you wouldn’t have a direct line to attack his lips again.

“But I do care. I don’t want to ruin this,” Ravus said in hushed voice. His gaze burned yours with its intensity and you let your hands fall against his chest.

You must have looked utterly disheartened at his words, because Ravus cupped your cheek and pressed one last deep kiss on your lips. Then he _smirked_.

“Thank you for the wine. It was delicious, but this”–he pressed a finger on your lips and made you blush–“was even better.”

You had a half a mind to nib at his finger, but forced the dirty thoughts cool down. Judging from tonight, you would have the time and place for those to surface again.

“I guess I need to let you leave then,” you murmured, not really wanting to get up from your position. You pecked another kiss on his lips. The throbbing ache at feeling the pressure of his body against you had not ceased one bit, but you tried to force your body to calm down.

“Yes, I think it’s about that time,” Ravus said, complacent at your reluctance to move. He took your hands into his.

“When will I see you again?” you asked almost desperately.

Ravus helped you up from his lap and stood up after you. His expression was gentle, but thoughtful.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t give any promises now. I need to visit Tenebrae next week and I can’t say how many days I’ll be gone,” he murmured saddened. He caressed your cheek, his fingers treading softly on your skin.

“Another business trip?” you asked and frowned, but couldn’t help but to lean a little against the touch.

Ravus hummed thoughtfully. “No, actually. Luna insisted that we go home for the autumn break.”

“Oh, damn, I had forgotten about the break…” you puffed in dismay. Your stomach sank a bit in anticipation for a whole week alone in Insomnia. Maybe you should have made plans to visit home. It would be too late now, since the boats to Accordo would be fully booked up even with the extra shifts. Altissia lived from tourism and the autumn break was a popular time to travel there for vacation.

Ravus chuckled at your disappointment. The charming smirk was back on his face. “Believe me; I’m not eager to leave either.”

His words made a warm feeling coil inside you and a smile spread back onto your lips.

“I’ll be waiting here then. Buried in books and lectu–“

But before you could finish the jesting, Ravus cut your sentence short with a kiss.

“–Mmmh,” you hummed and closed your eyes. You circled your arms around his waist, but the gentle, chaste kiss was over before it even began.

“I should go now,” Ravus said quietly. He seemed genuinely happy and you felt all giddy and excited inside. It had truly been a lovely evening and your next meeting could not come soon enough.

You walked him to the vestibule and after a sweet goodnight wish he walked out of the door.

You could barely contain your elated squeals.


	10. Chapter 10

The week of autumn break groveled forward at a painfully slow speed. The weather was getting gradually cooler, uncharacteristically cold for Insomnia even, and the Stormsender seemed determined to keep the city from drying up.

You cursed yourself for not asking Ravus’s personal phone number, since the only one in the university staff booklet was for work. Then again, maybe he didn’t even have a phone? You had never seen him use one… No, everyone living in modern Insomnia had one. While Ravus seemed to be old fashioned in some things, you were confident it wouldn’t extent to the use of mainstream technology. Besides, calling was simply the best way to reach Tenebrae.

For the whole week, useless thoughts kept circling and nagging in your head. Were you two really dating now? You had not talked about the subject yet. How did Ravus feel about you? He had not said anything besides reflected your words of being interesting… Then why was he so awkward in showing his interest at first? Luna had said something about that though… Had Ravus had bad experiences with women or dating in general? Maybe Aranea would know something? They seemed to know each other well, but you really didn’t feel like meeting your boss on vacation.

Besides, even though it was called the autumn break, you still had work to do. You just had to outline a few lectures you would be teaching in the upcoming weeks. Aranea had not given any other special tasks for you to complete over the week, and you had the feeling that she was doing the heavy lifting to actually give you time off.

But in your current state you would have been grateful to be occupied by something that would’ve taken your thoughts away from Ravus. He was in your mind by day and by night. It was really getting pointless and you felt like a stalker while you wondered what kind of movies did he like or what his favorite food was.

Useless, silly thoughts that were best left to be unexplored in more depth.

For the least, you managed to do some shopping on your free time, even though you mainly bought clothes for work. Hopefully they would be a little less formal and trendier than the outfits you usually wore. People in the business department really favored suits and other official-looking clothes, or other people than Professor Highwind did. And you aspired to be more like her.

Besides the light work, shopping and “spring”-cleaning of your apartment you barely did anything else. Break meant time to relax and so you did. Even though the time moved slowly, it still moved and before you realized, it was Monday again and the long-awaited time to return to the campus.

The forecast promised constant showers for the week. Despite that, you were in a good mood and determined to track down Ravus as soon as you could.

The chance came sooner than was comfortable. As the first thing on Monday morning Aranea asked of you was to copy some handouts for the day’s lesson, so you headed to the same copy room where you had helped out Luna.

Some other professor’s assistant was there using the machine, so you leaned on the table to wait for him to finish the task. You chatted with him a bit, trading some idle notes about the weather getting colder and random thoughts about buying a new winter coat. Just boring small talk to fill the silence.

You didn’t even realize at first that someone was standing at the doorway, frozen still by the sudden sight of you so early in the morning.

Ravus had to take a few seconds to breathe after you happened before him so unexpectedly.

The other assistant greeted him politely, to which Ravus responded in kind. His pale blue eyes left you only briefly, but returned hastily to inspect the painted curve of your lips.

Somehow you managed to splutter “Good morning,” to him.

The setting was awkward. The other assistant was contently switching a new paper into the machine to copy and you had no idea what he was trying to talk to you about. Your gaze was glued onto Ravus, who politely waited for his turn by the door.

You couldn’t take your eyes off him. Where was your resolve and bravery now when you needed them? A whole week’s worth of planning and psyching yourself up went down the drain the moment Ravus’s blue eyes were upon you. The gaze was mesmerizing and you stood completely void of sensible thoughts and words.

_‘You were supposed to ask him out,’_ you reminded yourself and compulsively arranged the papers in your hands. Maybe you could have said something to Ravus, like ask how his autumn break was, but the other assistant kept babbling on and on. He didn’t seem to care that you were only nodding in response while Professor Nox Fleuret stood by the door silent.

It took forever for the third wheel in the room to complete his business and leave with a smile.

You took deep, inconspicuous breaths, trying to calm down your racing heart. You were alone with Ravus now. He paced closer and you busied yourself with setting the copy machine to work.

_‘Am I really doing this?’_ If you were to ask him out, it would make things different. It would mean you start dating. Officially. The thought made your head spin while a pleasant fluttering dipped into your stomach.

Ravus presence was so compelling, that you had to fight the urge to take a glance at him. You were incredibly conscious of him while your hands moved automatically, operating the machine to start the humming background noise.

With nothing left to do besides wait, you inhaled a deep, calming breath and turned your body to face Ravus. “I was wondering… Are you doing anything on this Saturday?”

_‘Whoa!’_ He was standing much closer than you had thought.

“Nothing in particular. Why?” Ravus asked slowly.

You swallowed before his stern and utterly confused expression. You tried to phrase the words exactly like you wanted to say them in your head, but the thoughts were just a mess of alphabet soup. It didn’t help how your heart was kicking and you felt like you were going to faint.

“I was, uh… umm… Nothing,” you said. ‘ _Whoa great job there, he got the message loud and clear._ ’ You sighed and averted your eyes from him.

Ravus’s brows furrowed. “So you didn’t have anything to say?” Did he just sound disappointed?

“Nope,” you quipped, obviously lying, trying to buy some time to figure out the right words.

You were too preoccupied in your awkwardness to notice Ravus roll his eyes towards the ceiling and a small smile pass through his face. “Right.”

You turned back to the copy machine, nervous and embarrassed at your lack of courage. It was only halfway through printing the handouts, so despite the urge to run, you had to stay and stare at how the stack of papers got thicker. You were overly conscious of Ravus’s presence behind you. Your body was reacting like the evening after the theatre had not even happened.

After a moment spent in silence, Ravus paced to stand next to you.

“Y/N?” he called out, coaxing you to look at him.

You turned swiftly. He was so close to you that he could have just leaned in to kiss you. “Yes?”

Your next breath hitched into your throat.

“If you’re free this Saturday, would you like to go to a dinner with me?” Ravus questioned. It sounded rehearsed and the thought made you smile a bit.

_‘He just asked me out! Ravus asked me out!’_ Your heart was flipping in joy, but you tried to hide it to not seem overly excited. Your knees were definitely buckling. _‘Would it be too desperate to ‘accidentally’ fall into his arms?’_

“Is at six okay?” you asked after clearing your throat.

Ravus smiled. It was a genuinely happy curve of his lips and to you it looked like the sun had dawned after ten years of darkness. “I’ll make a reservation for the evening and pick you up then.”

You nodded as you didn’t trust your ability to form a sensible response with words.

The copy machine beeped loudly on your side, causing you to jump a bit. It was done with the handouts, but you didn’t feel like leaving the room anymore.

“Listen–“ you started.

“There is–“ Ravus said at the same time, causing you both to shut up abruptly.

You gazed at each other with mirth in your eyes. Ravus motioned you to continue with his expression and a slight nod.

“Uh, so I realized I don’t have your phone number…” you explained meekly, but smiled. The awkwardness had melted again and you felt indescribably comfortable, relieved even, standing in the plain copy room alone with Ravus. A sweet excitement was taking over you, making your heart swell with infatuation and your lips curl into a foolish smile.

“Oh, right. I’ll write it down for you.” Ravus grabbed a pen and a cut piece of some leftover paper from the side desk.

You stared with your heart pounding insanely as he leaned to scribble down a series of numbers that you would soon know by heart. His silvery hair fell down with the motion to veil his profile. You still couldn’t comprehend that this man was romantically interested in you.

“Here.” Ravus offered the paper to you and you noticed how your hand slightly trembled as you took it. You would save the number on your phone as soon as you were back in the privacy of your office.

“Thank you. What did you want to say earlier?” you asked, clasping the phone number tightly between your fingers against your chest.

Suddenly Ravus looked hesitant. “I… brought you something from Tenebrae – the wine. If you remember,” he said with an endearingly shy smile on his lips. His gaze escaped yours to inspect the plain walls.

You inhaled excitedly. “Really?” you breathed and chuckled gently, “I– thank you, Ravus. I hope it comes with a promise of drinking company.“ The playful lilt was evident in your tone as you challenged Ravus to forget his nervousness that had been without cause.

“It’s your bottle, so you can drink it with anyone you’d like,” he said simply, but you could distinguish the complacency in his voice. Had you become better at spotting Ravus’s displays of micro-emotions?

“Well then. I choose _you_ ,” you said, not bothering to hide the grin that took over.

Ravus chuckled. “I’ll come by your room later to give it to you.”

“I can’t wait,” you said and really had to resist the urge to give a peck on his lips. Instead, you turned to pick up the stack of handouts from the tray. “See you later th– uhh… hmm…”

You were talking as you turned back to face Ravus, but the words made a mess on your tongue since he leaned in to place a quick kiss on your cheekbone. A flash of heat ravaged the spot where his lips had touched, steadily and swiftly spreading on your skin.

Three things: Firstly, Ravus obviously wasn’t bothered that anyone might walk into the room and catch you being a little too friendly with each other. Secondly, he had taken you completely by surprise with this un-Ravus-like behavior. And thirdly, gods how much you wanted to just jump on him and push him against the wall and make all your daydreams come true.

Instead you just giggled and smiled, not able to utter a word. The spot on your cheek was tingling.

“Until later then, Y/N,” Ravus said. He sounded way too happy at your flustered state and you were quite intrigued by this new teasing side of him –a side that you would love to explore in more depth.

You left the room with the heavy stack of papers unstably in your hands and a wide smile on your lips. The phone number was securely inside your palm.

It was a long week before Saturday and your long-awaited date with Ravus. Tuesday morning especially made it longer and more painful, since Aranea had to call in sick. She had caught a bad flu and was bedridden with fever. It became your job to teach the lectures you could and cancel the rest. Aranea assured she would have her rear back in gear in no time, but you argued that she needed to rest properly to become healthy again.

When you skimmed through her lecture notes and teaching materials, it became agonizingly evident that the Professor had not rested during the autumn break. You had to call her a dozen times during the day to find everything you needed from her office and to understand some points in her notes.

The whole week from Tuesday onwards was so hectic that you had no time to make use of the phone number you had gotten. Besides the short text to make sure the number was correct and to give yours to Ravus, you didn’t have a proper chance to message or call him like you wanted to. Or rather, you didn’t have time to mentally prepare for the contact.

Even your lunch breaks were at odd hours so you couldn’t catch Ravus at the canteen. However, he did come by your office a few times to ask how you were holding up as he was passing by. You partly wanted to complain to him, but the more dominant part of you was too stubborn to show weakness in front of a challenge.

And you also remembered how Ravus had commented your work efficiency when your relationship had not been as warm. You wanted to show him _and_ Aranea that you could handle this. Out of all people in the campus, Ravus would best understand how an emergency at work went ahead of everything else.

By the end of the work week on Friday, things had somewhat calmed down and you had a moment to breathe and sit down in Aranea’s office, which you had been occupying for the past few days for convenience.

You were waiting for the Professor to call you to check on how things were going, like you had agreed to. When the phone rang, almost fifteen minutes later than expected, you snatched it from the desk.

“Hello, Professor,” you greeted coolly, a tad irritated at her lateness.

“Hey, Y/N. Sorry I fell asleep on the couch. How are things?” Aranea sounded really stuffy and after the question you heard how she blew her nose. You proceeded to discuss the previous afternoon’s lecture with her and she walked you through the notes for the next one.

“Hey, sorry to ask you this, but could you bring me the book on customer neuroscience from my office?” Aranea asked before hanging up. She sounded slightly hesitant and the tone in itself made you curious. Was there something suspicious about her wanting a book on customer neuroscience? Besides that fact that it was undeniably work-related and she was supposed to rest.

You took a glance at the time. You had been on the phone for over twenty minutes already. “Uh, s-sure. Is it okay if I stop by after the afternoon lecture?” you suggested.

“Yeah, of course. Thanks, Y/N.” Aranea sounded relieved. So much for her resting up to recover.

“No problem. Text me the address.” You wrote _“Aranea’s book!”_ on a sticky note and splatted it in the middle of the desk.

“Sure. See you then.”

“Yes, see you. Bye.”

After that last lesson your week straight from the Infernian’s ass was finally over. On your way to Aranea’s, you let your mind wander to the date on the next day and nervous excitement easily took you over.

_‘I’m going to wear that black dress… and those earrings… and the shoes…’_ Your thoughts were circling around the perfect outfit for the date and you felt really happy and confident about the plans. You couldn’t wait to get to home and try the clothes on.

Professor Highwind lived a quick travel away from the campus in a block of flats. The area was quite fancy with lot of modern buildings and expensive boutiques littered the street-level. It was a really chic part of the city and you thought how it fitted perfectly the Professor’s profile.

“Hey, come on in,” Aranea said from the doorframe and stepped aside. You had never before seen her without make up and with the cold she looked extra glum. He hair was on a messy bun and she was wearing an extra layer of clothes.

A heavenly scent of food hit your nose as you took a step further into the vestibule.

You noticed a pair of men’s oxford shoes near the door and huffed a laugh in sudden revelation. The shoes couldn’t have belonged to anyone else than Ignis Scientia – absentee from the afternoon’s lesson. Mr. Scientia was a model student who never skipped a lecture and his grades were at the top of the class. It seemed like his Professor being sick made an exception into his conscientiousness.

“Thanks… You have a guest over?” you asked innocently, but couldn’t help the smirk.

Aranea stared at you for a split second, before her mouth cracked into a grin. “Don’t worry, he’s letting me rest.”

As if on que, Ignis peeked from behind the corner and his brows shot up at the sight of you.

“Hello,” you greeted him as nonchalantly as you could. Gods, at least you could still look him in the eye.

“Hello,” Ignis greeted you back with a polite nod, “Dinner is almost ready, Aranea.”

“Okay, thanks,” Aranea said and you couldn’t help but to notice the softness in her voice when she spoke to him. It was surprising, but endearing, actually.

You busied yourself with digging up the book from your bag while Aranea and Ignis traded gentle smiles.

_‘Oh by the Six, they look so lovey-dovey.’_

“Here’s the book.” You passed the heavy tome to Aranea and she thanked you. Ignis went back to presumably finish the dinner preparations and you again paid attention to the amazing scent that carried over from the kitchen. Who would’ve guessed that Ignis Scientia cooked? You had to push down the risen curiosity, before you would blurt out something you would come to regret later.

“So uhh… are you two… friends?” you asked so quietly that Ignis wouldn’t hear.

To your astonishment, Aranea laughed at your innocent question.

“Don’t you have other things to worry about?” she asked slyly. At least the cold hadn’t extinguished her usual spark. “Like _Ravus_?”

A scorching heat rose to your cheeks. Ignis side-eyed you curiously from the other side of the apartment as he went to set the table, and for a second your eyes met. You turned hastily away.

“There’s nothing to worry about,” you assured with a small cough.

“He told me you’re going out,” Aranea continued. She looked impossibly pleased.

Your eyes widened into comical lengths. “He–“ you choked on your surprise, “H-he told you?”

“Yeah, when he called to ask how I was. I’m not interested in the dirty details. Just know that I’m rooting for you guys. Good luck with that dumbass.” Her tone was sincere, fond even, and you were absolutely confused at her choice of words. You were constantly surprised by how close Aranea and Ravus actually were.

“Thanks…” you said with a hesitant beam, but Aranea answered to it with a playful grin.

“I’m sure you can handle him. Astrals know that man needs to get laid.”

You coughed forcibly and Ignis peeked again to see if something was the matter. Aranea laughed at your reaction.

“I’m just teasing you. Thanks for the book, Y/N,” she said.

Of course she was just teasing you. Still your cheeks felt hot. “Haha, yeah. No problem. Get well soon.”

“I’m in good hands. Have fun on your date,” Aranea said and winked before you turned to leave.


	11. Chapter 11

_“Hey, would you mind if we reschedule to 4pm tomorrow? There’s a place I’d like to take you to before dinner.”_

You had been staring at the text message for several minutes already, thumbs hovering over the letters. For someone who talked so little, Ravus sure liked to write long texts.

_‘Do I mind spending more time with you? Absolutely not,’_ you thought, biting your lower lip.

The attire for the date was neatly laid over your bed as you had just finished trying it on. The black dress was your favorite. It fitted your form perfectly, accentuating your outlines with elegance. You had tried to imagine yourself next to Ravus with the dress on, and had come to the satisfied conclusion that it would be perfect for the evening.

The neckline was v-shaped and slightly low cut, but not crass in any sense. The fabric was comfortable to wear and the hem settled flawlessly down to your knees. It was your ultimate dating outfit and if that wouldn’t be good enough to seduce Ravus, which you were totally not trying to do, you would give up.

_“Sure! I’m curious to see what you have in mind. See you at 4pm.”_ You resisted the urge to add a smiling emoji and hit “send” with your thumb before you could delete the message and write it again for the fifth time.

You had completely cleared your Saturday morning schedule to be able to focus on preparing for the date. You took a long shower, applied every possible beauty product you felt like you needed onto your skin and while dressing made sure each piece of garment was in its place without a flaw or wrinkle.

An hour before Ravus would come to pick you up, your heartbeat fastened and drummed in nervous excitement. You wondered was he as nervous as you were as you tried to come up with some topics to discuss beforehand so you wouldn’t fall into an uncomfortable silence.

You triple-checked that the Tenebraean wine was in the cooler, just in case you would end up at your apartment after the date. The bottle was ornate and curiously of light purple shade instead of the usual green. Ravus had told you it was not designed to be left to age, and had recommended you to open it within two _years_. You had chuckled a bit at his seriousness, but accepted the instructions with a graceful smile.

Fifteen minutes before the agreed time, you paced around the living room, frantically pondering should you still change into those other shoes.

Five minutes early, your doorbell chimed and your heart jumped into your throat before descending down in a fluttering speed.

You took one last glance in the mirror and opened the front door.

There he stood – as impeccably perfect and ethereally handsome as ever.

You beamed at Ravus. “Hey,” you said. Good, your tone was somewhat normal, though the excitement was embarrassingly evident. Well, at least he would know that you had been looking forward to the date.

“Hello,” he replied. Ravus’s eyes glided down and back up your form. The light pink spots rising to his cheeks revealed just how well you had succeeded with the dress.

_‘Nailed it,’_ you grinned inwardly.

“Shall we?” you asked and waited for Ravus to nod before fetching your coat and dressing hastily.

“You look perfect,” Ravus managed to say when you looked expectantly at him with your top coat and scarf on.

Your cheeks flushed with heat at the unexpected compliment. “T-thank you.” Before you could start even to think about returning the praise, Ravus continued:

“I could stare at you all day.”

You just melted.

“Then we’d miss whatever you had planned,” you uttered with a nervous giggle.

“Perhaps some other day then,” Ravus said and your heart made somersaults at the light suggestive tone. He offered his arm to you and escorted you outside.

In the car, which was as fancy and expensive as expected, you fell into a comfortable conversation and you realized how unnecessary your earlier worries had been. Your efforts to try and come up with topics had been in vain, since the discussion flowed on without a hitch. Even though he could be an awkward bean, Ravus was unmistakably talented at making conversation when he wanted to.

Oh and he wanted to with you. Your heart fluttered at seeing the man so relaxed and his smiles so easy. You truly would have to categorize the sight from “rare” to “uncommon”.

“I hope you’ll have a good time today,” Ravus said nonchalantly, but with an earnest tone.

You almost squealed in delight at thinking how _you_ were on a date with _Ravus_. It was really happening. Finally. You peered at his side profile. All of the awkwardness and oddity was gone in that moment and you felt just happy.

“Will you tell me now where we are going?” you asked with impatient curiosity, when Ravus steered the car towards the highway, away from downtown.

He smirked lightly, but kept his eyes on the road, which you actually appreciated. You were glad you didn’t have to drive with that gorgeous being sitting beside you.

“Have you visited the botanical garden of Insomnia?” Ravus asked.

You tilted your head to the side while looking at him, thinking. “No, I haven’t. But I heard there is some sort of rare exhibition?” You had actually seen an advertisement about it in the newspaper, but never focused on it enough to actually read what it was about.

“Yes, they opened the new orchid house yesterday”–Ravus took a side-eyed glance at you–“I hope it’s okay that we go visit. We don’t have to stay for long–“

“I’d love to see it,” you hurried to say and were rewarded with an endearing smile.

The trip to the botanical garden was a short one. The new house was located at the far most end of the western portion of the central park, creating another inviting attraction to extend one’s leisure stroll. Despite having a car at your disposal, you had never been in that part of Insomnia before. You turned around on your seat, taking in the new sights. Ravus was readily telling you about the area and you got the image that he would like to spend more time out in the park, should he happen to have a day free.

As you arrived, instantly you discovered that the event was quite popular among certain crowd. The parking lot was nearly full and people were coming and going to the garden.

Whatever you had been expecting for the orchid house to be, you were surprised nevertheless. The building was bigger than you had thought, and very Insomnian in its modern architecture. It was covered in glass panels and you could see the out-bursting greenery leaning against the windows.

The orchid house was built to mimic the tropical highlands of Tenebrae, namely the cloud forests of Ulwaat. After taking a look at the map at the entrance, you realized that was practically where Ravus was from. Suddenly your interest towards the contents of the tour grew profoundly.

You held on to Ravus’s arm as you strolled inside. The damp air hit you as soon as you stepped inside the garden from the entrance hall. You let out a soft gasp. Everything was so _green_. You had never seen anything like it. Mist was rolling in the surprisingly cool air and you could hear the sound of rain somewhere in the distance.

“Everything okay?” Ravus asked softly as you walked onward on the wooden trail in the middle of the out-stretching plants and low trees. You turned to look at his face in wonder.

“It’s amazing!” you breathed out, eyes wide as saucers.

A smile spread onto Ravus’s lips as he regarded your expression. You were already leaning towards him, eyes fluttering closed, thinking that he would kiss you. Then a voice called out to you.

“Fancy meeting you here!”

You both turned to look at the man standing in front of you, wearing an obnoxious smile and a twinkle in his eyes.

“Izunia,” Ravus said in a cool tone.

You were thinking fast whether you should take a step away from Ravus or not, but then again, you were on a date, so you held on to his arm as it was nothing out of the ordinary. It didn’t go unnoticed by Ardyn.

“Hello,” you greeted the Chancellor and tried to come up with a pleasant smile. Why did it feel like you had just been caught from doing something forbidden? Ardyn eyed curiously between you two.

“Well, well. Now I understand why you declined my offer to work in Gralea.” His words were appointed to you, but his gaze also flicked to Ravus.

A slight heat rose to your cheeks. _‘Well, he isn’t wrong…’_ you thought and let out an airy laugh since you had no idea how to respond to that statement aloud.

“Have you come to enjoy the new garden too, Ardyn?” you asked. You could feel how Ravus’s posture stiffened by your side and he inhaled slowly through his nose.

“Along with _your_ prestigious institution, the University of Gralea also has gifted its time and resources in building this place – thus, I’m here by invitation,” Ardyn explained with a crooked smile.

“Really?” Ravus asked uninterested.

Ardyn shot him a grin. “Really. Though I must say Professor Nox Fleuret, you truly have made the discovery of the century.” He motioned towards you.

Ravus quirked a brow at him and you frowned in confusion. Ardyn directed the most charming smile at you before continuing. “All these flowers, yet they pale in comparison to your beauty,” he said in his oiliest voice.

You were definitely blushing and tried to stammer a natural-sounding laugh at the exorbitant praise.

“Yes, I’m well aware of that fact,” Ravus replied coolly and you felt how he pulled you slightly closer. It made your insides tingle.

Ardyn just looked at you with unnerving mirth on his face. “Ah, I must be off, lest I get left behind by my guide”–he made a nonchalant motion to behind him–“But the work offer still stands… for both of you. Should you change your mind, I’ll be waiting.”

He lifted the fedora and bowed his head slightly, then paced away.

“He’s uhh, an extraordinary person,” you noted and turned to look at Ravus. He was leering at Ardyn’s retreating back.

Ravus sighed and mustered a smile at you. “Shall we continue?” He would have rather just forgotten the Chancellor existed.

You smiled back and took a better grip of his arm. “Please.”

Despite the uneasy feeling the chance meeting with the Chancellor left in the pit of your stomach, your date continued on pleasantly. As you paced onwards in the midst of the greenery, Ravus told you all sorts of interesting facts about the plants. He knew surprisingly much about the orchids, and you found it quite endearing. It was quite clear that he was driven by passion and interest rather than pressure from his family towards the field.

You were engrossed inside your own little bubble; you held Ravus’s arm, enjoying his proximity, and he spoke in a soft tone that pleasantly coddled your sense of hearing. The atmosphere in the orchid house was truly a unique one and you wondered what it would be like to visit the original area, where the orchids grew wild in the nature.

But you had the next best thing as Ravus told you about his ventures in the cloud forests of Tenebrae. As a boy he often had been out there without permission. He described it as “another dimension, where the rest of the world disappears”. Thanks to the everlasting mist, one could only see a short distance away. Being enveloped in the silence allowed Ravus to gather his thoughts and focus.

The tour in the orchid house was over before you realized, but taking a look at the time revealed that you had spent almost two hours in there.

“We should hurry. Our table reservation is at six,” Ravus said, snapping you out of the mist that rolled inside your mind. You had felt so comfortable walking beside him, holding his arm and listening to his soothed voice.

As you stepped outside into the cool air, all the reveries about the forests of Ulwaat shattered into distant images. You wrapped your coat tighter on and hurried back to the car.

The restaurant was naturally one of the fanciest in the city, right in the centrum in the top floor of a skyscraper. The view from the wall-high windows was stunning. You had never seen Insomnia from that perspective and you forgot yourself staring outside after you were guided to the table.

Ravus examined the delight on your features with gratification. He loved to see your eyes lit in wonder and the smile slipping onto your lips made his curve upwards too.

“What kind of place is this?” you asked curiously. As you glanced at the menu, it became evident that it was at least the expensive kind.

“Hmm? They serve mostly Southern Accordan dishes, but I think there’s something else too…” Ravus took the menu and opened it.

Your eyes widened and you focused your attention completely on the list again. Indeed they had foods that were particularly familiar to you – though many of them had been tuned to be more extravagant and suit a richer palate.

“You… you brought me into an Accordan restaurant,” you hummed moved, looking up from the menu. It was an unexpectedly considerate of Ravus. And you hadn’t even known there was such a place in the city!

“I hope you’ll like it,” Ravus said nonchalantly, but couldn’t help the warm smile that broke through.

He let you order for the both of you, pretending he didn’t know exactly what each dish was.

The food was a trip down the memory lane. You caught yourself talking about your family and the silly traditions you had regarding different holidays and their servings. It was all so unlike what Ravus told you in turn about Tenebrae: His family gatherings had been “dull” and “stuffy” in his words and nowadays he avoided them as best as he could, whereas yours had usually been more intimate and warm, a treasured time spend with your family.

Ravus also mentioned that his mother had proposed an arranged marriage for him some time ago, and a block of ice dropped into your stomach before he continued that he had turned the offer down immediately. It had happened after he had met you.

The evening flew fast as you conversed and enjoyed the phenomenal food and good wine. The restaurant would surely become a place for you to visit when you missed home and wanted to treat yourself – hopefully in Ravus’s company.

When you had finished the main course and were waiting for the waiter to come and ask about the dessert, a flower seller walked into the dining hall. She held a braided basket on her arm, filled with stunningly beautiful, huge roses of different colors.

“Excuse me,” Ravus murmured and flashed a reassuring smile to you before you could ask what he was up to.

You looked after his back as he paced over to the flower seller and bought a single purple rose from her.

Then he walked back to you and you had difficulties remembering how to breathe. He offered the flower to you with only a gentle smile on his lips. Your hand shook as you accepted it.

“Thank you,” you murmured and inhaled the sweet scent. You had no idea what the meaning behind a single purple rose was, but it was gorgeous and the gesture was so ridiculously romantic that your knees felt weak. “It’s lovely,” you uttered and laid the flower gently to the tableside. “What does it mean?”

“Maybe I’ll tell you later,” Ravus promised as he sat down.

Your heart fluttered at the nonchalant tone and you beamed back at him.

For dessert you ordered the traditional Altissian shortcake with orange jam. You told Ravus about the carnival you had visited in Altissia and how that had been the first time you had tasted the delicious pastry. Afterwards you had practically blown up the kitchen in trying to make the dessert at home. Your mother had not been happy at all.

You laughed and enjoyed the last drops of the wine without any rush to leave the restaurant. So far the evening had been just perfect and you were almost purring. You had again become completely invested in each other, not noticing anyone or anything else around you.

You still couldn’t believe how you were the one who got to admire how Ravus elegantly lifted the wine glass to his perfect lips, took a sip and after placing it back to the table, swiped some stray hairs back. Your heart was about to burst and you wanted to squeal out loud.

With every passing moment you were getting more anxious about inviting Ravus over to your place to continue the evening. Every fiber of your being hoped he would come, but if not, you would be happy to end the date there and let sweet reveries lull you into sleep.

Soon it came time to leave the Accordan restaurant. Like a true gentleman, Ravus helped your coat on and offered his arm for you to take. The rose was firmly in your other hand and you held it gently against your chest. Ravus escorted you to the elevator and you both paused at the realization that you were completely alone for the short moment.

You peered at Ravus from under your lashes and caught his glance.

“This was a really nice place,” you said softly, drawing his gaze to your painted lips where it lingered in silence. You were standing closer to him than necessary, still holding on to his arm, face tilted invitingly towards his.

“Can I kiss you?” Ravus asked quietly and already leaned forward with slightly parted lips.

“Are you asking just for the dramatic effect?” you teased and inhaled the scent of his cologne. It was pleasant, not at all unsavory like the strong whiffs you had caught when passing other men in the restaurant. Ravus’s scent just soothed your mind and you inhaled again, more deeply.

A smirk spread onto his face. “…I’m asking just for the dramatic effect.”

“It’s more dramatic if you don’t ask,” you smiled, heart fluttering in anticipation.

Ravus closed the distance between your lips, finally pressing his onto yours. You would have been lying if you had said that you had not waited this for the whole day. The date had been perfect, but the lingering kiss you shared in the elevator made it even better.

Your free hand rested on Ravus’s chest and his hands caressed down your sides, so gently that you felt a wave of shivers.

Just when you were about to deepen the kiss and cup Ravus’s cheek, the elevator chimed and two seconds later the doors opened.

Fortunately, no one was standing behind them, waiting to be let in. You pulled away with a light, dreamy smile adorning your lips. Ravus’s expression was not far from yours.

“So I have that wine chilled to perfection back home,” you said, emboldened by the alcohol already coursing through your veins and the heady, tender kiss.

Ravus cocked an eyebrow at your obvious suggestion. “That is an offer hard to turn down.”

“I know,” you purred and dragged your fingers down his arm. It seemed like your most seductive smile was working since Ravus swallowed.

“I’ll call us a cab.”


	12. Chapter 12

“So what did you do while I was in Tenebrae?” Ravus asked casually. He was leaning to your kitchen counter, watching you dance around to gather some snacks onto a tray.

You were back at your place after the dinner in the Altissian restaurant; chatting and getting comfortable. Having Ravus over didn’t feel as strange as it had for the first time, but you could not deny the giddy excitement bubbling inside you.

“Mm. Nothing much,” you said and took the wine from the fridge. “Just… missed you,” you confessed and turned.

You were sure Ravus was going to laugh at your cringe-worthy words as you spoke them, but instead he pushed you against the fridge door and kissed you urgently. You were completely taken by surprise and could barely hold on to the bottle in your hand as you tried to gasp for air.

It felt like ages since you had last kissed him, even though the last time had been just before the cab drive. It would have been a lie to say that you had not waited for this part of the evening. You hummed into his mouth after reverting from the surprise.

Ravus took the bottle from your hand and placed it on the counter next to you. His tongue prodded gently at your lips and you let it enter while a pleased sigh escaped your throat. His lips felt so nice against yours, making a tingling sensation go up your spine.

Your mind was numb and you felt just completely happy in that moment. Your arms snaked around each other, eagerly feeling out your bodies through the clothing. You were completely ready to forget about the wine and snacks, and move on to the next course. Ravus probably noticed it since his overly eager motions calmed and his kisses soon turned tender.

Despite all your more or less subtle efforts, the making out ended with all of your clothing still quite intact, although ruffled.

“Sorry if that was a bit sudden…” Ravus said breathily. His expression was satisfied and you only assumed it was because of your eager reply to his advances.

You placed your hands on his shoulders and pushed up on your toes to plant one on his lips. “It’s okay. I was going to tease you about holding back for the evening, but I don’t think I can anymore.”

“Hmm. Tease me? Did it bother you? I’m sorry, I didn’t realize…” Ravus said slowly with a thoughtful look on his face that was in complete contrast to the one he had worn just seconds ago. “It’s been a while since I was on a proper date…”

_‘Does he really think he did something wrong?’_

“Don’t worry about it,” you assured with a smile, “Today was _a real date_ , right?” you confirmed within the same breath. A bubble of happiness at Ravus being the one to bring up the subject of the date’s nature grew inside you.

“Certainly.” He nodded. He couldn’t help his smile growing at seeing yours.

“Then that’s enough for me – for now.” You smiled brightly and turned to take a couple of wine glasses from the cabinet.

“First date, huh?” Ravus asked and took the wine bottle to open it.

“So it would seem…” It was hard not to simper.

You studied his calm smile as he poured the warm gold liquid into the glasses. How on Eos had you landed such a divinely handsome man into your clutches? A nagging sense of inferiority complex pounded in the borders of your mind, but you forced it away by remembering the sweet kisses you had just shared with him.

“Thank you,” you said when Ravus offered you the filled glass.

You clunk your glasses lightly together before taking sips.

“This is amazing!” you exclaimed after tasting the wine. It was very floral and the taste of Tenebraen peaches was evident even in the aroma floating into your nose. It was probably the best wine you had ever had the pleasure of acquainting your taste buds with.

Ravus was extremely satisfied with your reaction. After all, the wine had been his recommendation to you.

As you sat down on the couch to enjoy the wine, time flew. You were truly torn between wanting to take it slow and proper, and completely devouring the stunningly attractive man sitting next to you.

What you did not know, however, was that your date’s thoughts were moving along the same lines.

You had just finished telling Ravus how you landed the job at the university, when he placed his glass to the coffee table. He reached out to caress your cheek, seeking out a kiss, to which you gladly complied by leaning forward.

“Beautiful and intelligent,” Ravus murmured, nose almost touching yours, “Do you even have any bad features?”

A giggle, spurred on by the wine, left your lips. “Bad features? Me? Well, if we’re not taking into account my awkwardness and the fact that I’m still utterly nervous in your company… Hmm. I don’t think I do have any.” You completed the sentence with a teasing smirk.

“Mm, you may be right,” Ravus replied softly and planted another kiss to your lips.

_‘Hold on, he was supposed to laugh…’_ You blinked into the kiss, surprised by the reaction your attempted jest had received, but let go of the thought soon, completely focusing on the pair of lips on yours.

“So tell me, what should we do to make you feel more comfortable in my company?” Ravus asked, arctic blue eyes searching yours with a light smile on his face.

You let out a nervous chuckle. “Uh, maybe we just need to get to know each other?” you offered, but it was hard to ignore your rapidly beating heart after the multiple kisses you had already shared on that evening. Maybe with each kiss, your nervousness had calmed down a notch, but seeing Ravus looking at you like that… Astrals help you, you had it _bad_ for him.

In the back of your mind, you prayed to the Six Gods to not let you fuck this up.

“Well, you can ask me anything,” Ravus said nonchalantly and sipped his wine. You were eager to taste it in the next kiss, but first you had to come up with some tough questions for him.

“Anything? Alright, give me a moment to think…”

The evening flowed on without a hitch. You talked mostly about Ravus, occasionally sharing a sweet kiss or two and filling up your glasses. It was becoming really evident that the amount of wine you consumed was directly comparable to the amount of how much you did not want to stop to just kissing. When Ravus pulled back from you next time, he made sure to leave some distance between you. You knew it was for the best, but still you wanted to just crawl on top of him and do as you pleased with him.

Since it was getting late, you would have to let Ravus go soon. It was also better if he left before his composure would give in.

“Alright, one last question,” you said, thoughtfully swirling the remaining liquid in your almost empty glass.

Ravus motioned you to continue with his hand as he was gulping down the last drops of wine from his glass.

“What’s the sexiest thing a woman can wear?” you asked with a mischievously quirked brow.

Ravus calmly placed the empty glass on the table and looked at you straight into the eye. “Her smile.”

You just melted at the response. Could he be any more perfect? It was getting almost suspicious. Maybe you were on candid camera or something? Surely there was no way–

But the thought was cut short when Ravus placed another too chaste kiss on your lips, and you chased after him when he tried to pull away. He had to cup your cheek to keep you away long enough to speak. You kissed his palm with an innocent look on your face, but not so innocent thoughts on your mind.

“I really should go now,” Ravus said softly, “It’s getting late.”

“Same time next week?” you suggested without thinking and tugged your lower lip between your teeth.

_‘Oops. Too soon?’_ You grimaced inwardly.

Ravus’s brows shot up at your question. He might have been taken by surprise, but a pleased smile soon spread to his lips.

“I look forward to it already.”

 

* * *

 

“Looks like your date went well,” Aranea noted with a grin as soon as you stepped into her office on Monday morning.

_‘Am I really that transparent?’_ you wondered and beamed hesitantly at her, heart still fluttering at the memory of your evening with Ravus. You couldn’t wait to see him again. The world was covered with a rose-pink filter and your future looked bright, at least on the romance department. Maybe you would just have to accept that the failing of all your previous romantic quests had been providence – to lead you into Ravus’s arms.

Aranea let out an easy laugh and leaned back in her chair. “You’re practically glowing, Y/N! Damn, I need to go see what Ravus looks like. Might even catch him smiling one of these days.”

Your cheeks felt warm at Aranea’s teasing comment, but you just smiled through it and passed on the graded essays to her.

During the work week you didn’t try to bump into Ravus on purpose. You had lunch together – along with Aranea who kept a smug, knowing smile on her face – on the occasion that you happened to be at the canteen at the same time. Other than that, you had one meeting together, but you sat almost in the opposite ends of the room, so only inconspicuous glances and smiles were traded.

Preparing for you second official date, you were nearly not as nervous as on the first time, but if possible, a lot more excited. You still dressed up to slay. Ravus had advised that you wear something comfortable and warm, so you didn’t put on a dress, but made sure your make up was on point and your butt looked good in the slacks you wore.

Ravus was the perfect gentleman as ever. He held out his arm for you to take when you walked, took your coat and helped you sit down in the restaurant. Only this time he stole a kiss every time he did something like that, and each time he also took your breath away.

It was endearing. You had not taken Ravus as a person to display his affection in public, but it was a pleasant surprise that he didn’t seem to mind a chaste kiss or two, or your bodies being close to each other when you walked leisurely through the park.

It had been one of the last relatively warm days of the autumn, thanks to the sun that had been shining from a clear sky after weeks of rain and gloom. There were still a lot of people enjoying the evening. Lampposts illuminated the pathway through the park, creating a fairylike atmosphere. The trees were veiled in shades of dying green, yellow and orange. The pathway and the grass on its sides were littered with fallen leaves. The occasional gust of wind was chilly, so you curled closer to Ravus’s body and held on to his arm tighter.

You were starting to feel like you could talk just about anything with Ravus. He was easy to talk to, and he seemed to be indefinitely interested in anything you had to say. Since it was already your second date, naturally the topic soon turned towards your expectations and what you were looking for in a relationship – on a general level, though, since you had not yet labeled _your_ relationship.

Really soon it became clear to you that Ravus was not in the habit of dating just for fun. He did not have time or interest in casual dalliances, and moreover it sounded like he had extremely high criteria for anyone looking to date him. You felt an anxious wave flush through you at the realization, but the way Ravus gently looked at you while he spoke, dissipated the feeling quickly.

You melted into an enamored puddle when he confessed that the look in your eyes had been what had drawn him to you in the first place. He described it as “tantalizing”, but you were no longer listening since there was a rare, dashing smirk on his lips, and you just wanted to taste it.

As you kissed, it felt like you had begun to wake a whole another side of Ravus – the same one you had witnessed in the copy room after agreeing to go out for your first date.

As you pulled apart from the warmth of Ravus, you realized that you were right at the edge of the parking lot where his car was waiting.

“Would you like to come over for a drink?” you asked quickly, still breathless from the kiss, hands against Ravus’s chest.

That same smirk took over his expression. “I’d love to.”

Half an hour later, you were comfortably nestled on the couch. The television was open with some quality talk show, but the sound was almost muted. You were completely focused on each other, exchanging small kisses and cuddling in your amorous haze.

“What do you want from the future?” you asked softly, fingers drawing patterns to Ravus’s arm around your chest as your back was leaned against him. You looked up to him and his eyes were directed towards you.

“I’m looking at it now,” Ravus replied and gave a peck to your forehead.

You giggled nervously. Your heart began beating faster and he would surely feel the hammering. “How far future are we talking about?”

“Tomorrow brunch time?” Ravus suggested casually.

“Ohh, how smooth,” you teased.

“I have the weekend rarely free, so I’d like to see you again. If that’s okay.” He sounded a bit hesitant.

You rose up to sit so you could see Ravus’s face properly. _‘Is this for real? He is asking me out… tomorrow?’_

“Third date already?” you asked, barely able to hide the thrill in your tone.

“Third date,” Ravus agreed with a smile.


	13. Chapter 13

Like too often in recent memory, time moved forward in obscure spurs; sometimes speeding up to the point where you could barely keep up, other times causing the clock hands to halt completely. Or that’s what it felt like at least.

The few hours between saying goodbye to Ravus and seeing him again for your brunch date were like an eternity. Then days turned to weeks until you realized you no longer had any grasp of how many times you had been out with him. It was all going well – spending time together, getting to know each other, gaining knowing smirks from Aranea at work…

As the weeks passed, the autumn was getting colder and colder, gradually turning into winter. During the night the temperature dropped below zero. But with the chill winds also came the first time Ravus would be staying overnight at your place.

A few days prior to the weekend, you had made plans to cook dinner together and before you could stop yourself, you had invited Ravus to stay for the night. To your relief, he had been delighted to accept the invitation.

However, what made you nervous was the fact that you had agreed to take it slowly together, but it had been over a month already and you had barely done anything besides kissed.

Each time you were together, there were wandering hands, long touches and the battle in your mind between constraining yourself and just jumping Ravus’s bones. You wanted to take your time with getting to know him, but you also had a mighty need to rip his shirt off. So far there had not been any casualties in the form of loose buttons or torn clothes.

Naturally, you had talked about sex to establish that both of you had had previous romantic endeavors. Ravus wasn’t the type to jump into bed without any feelings and it was something you were glad to know, should that time come to pass between you two. Not that you had any reason to suspect his motivations in the first place.

So when the fateful weekend finally arrived, you were absolutely nervous, constantly swaying between regret and exhilaration.

You had two outlooks on Ravus: One was the ethereally handsome, hypnotically attractive being you had used to stare from afar with admiration. The second one was the familiar, surprisingly warm person whose arms were always open for you and who didn’t miss a chance to peck your lips whenever you were alone.

You tried grounding yourself to the feelings of familiarity, but the moment your doorbell rang and Ravus stood in the hallway before you, you were blinded again and your heartrate shot up.

Getting something to do with your hands and mind helped, as you began cooking the dinner together. The recipe was from your grandmother – something she had always said would melt any man’s heart – and you had decided to give it a go.

But as it turned out, you were the one being melted when Ravus’s arms were around you as you stood in front of the stove, turning the food on the frying pan with a spatula and conversed softly. There was something so homely in the setting that your heart was about to burst.

_‘I don’t ever want this to end,’_ you thought, gazing at Ravus who was setting the table. He caught you staring and smiled. Swooning felt like a good option.

After the delicious meal and cleaning up, you were going to make some coffee, maybe pick out a movie to watch from Chocoflix. You left Ravus in charge of the coffee and leaned on the counter, watching him measure the grounds.

“What kind of coffee culture Tenebrae has?” you asked out of curiosity.

Ravus hummed in thought. “Mm. I suppose it’s mostly nonexistent.”

You tilted your head in an unvoiced question. _Ravus and coffee were inseparable._

“My family had a cook from Gralea who loved making specialty coffees, if that’s what you were wondering. I picked up the habit,” he explained and clicked the coffee cooker on.

_‘A cook? From Gralea?’_ You deemed it best not to ask.

“I… see.”

Ravus turned around to face you. He hesitated for a second, mouth forming a soundless word. “Would you like to come with me to Tenebrae some day?”

Your breathing hitched in surprise. Ravus looked at you curiously, waiting for the reply that was jammed in your throat.

“Y/N?” he called gently.

“T-to meet your family?” you uttered, blinking in disbelief. That was not an encounter you had even thought about coming across any time soon. Though, you had already met Luna and knew that Ravus’s mother, the esteemed CEO of Nox Fleuret & Co., lived alone in Tenebrae. The two were the only family he had.

Ravus stepped right in front of you and took your hands into his. He smiled softly, invitingly. “Yes. One day. If you want to.” The expression in his eyes was filled with hope and he placed a kiss to your knuckles.

“I’d love to,” you breathed, your voice a tiny peep.

Something clicked between you and Ravus. With those small words something changed. Meeting each other’s families would be a big step, but it was one you both really wanted to take. Your relationship would be upgraded from just dating to a steady one.

You didn’t even dare to think why Ravus wanted to introduce you to his mother, so you focused on the growing bubble of happiness inside you that kept tugging the corners of your mouth upwards.

Ravus examined your face as the nervousness melted away from it. Then he leaned in, hands coming to rest on your hips and pressed his lips on yours.

The kiss embodied the relief Ravus felt after hearing your reply. He no longer wanted to hold back with you, and it was starting to show as he claimed your lips more hungrily, pulling you closer to his body with a carnal need that had grown too strong to resist.

And he had no reason to resist anymore. Whatever there was between you two, it was way more than just a casual dalliance or innocent fun.

Ravus Nox Fleuret had slowly realized that he was serious about you, and he wanted nothing more than for you to return his feelings.

You threw yourself eagerly into the kiss, letting Ravus’s tongue feel out yours. He pulled you even closer and you were surprised to feel his hands starting to snake beneath your shirt. He was usually more reserved in his advances at first. Pleasant tingles shot down your spine and you had to pull back a little to see what was going on.

However, Ravus would not have liked to let you go this time. He chased your lips, leaning forward until you started giggling against his mouth. Only then he drew back just enough to give you space to breathe and speak.

“Does this mean I can call you my _boyfriend_?” you asked slyly, eyes twinkling as you stared into Ravus’s blue ones. You had never seen that look in them. It was urgency and desire, mixed into a delightful combo of lust.

Oh, how long had you waited for this. Your heart began drumming against your ribcage.

“You can call me whatever you want.” His lips crashed right back against yours.

You felt out Ravus’s back, dragging your fingers over his muscles and drawing out goosebumps. His tongue slipped into your mouth and you let out a soft, drawled moan. He kissed you like he had never kissed you before. It was consuming and full of meaning that made your head spin.

The thrill was setting your body alight, pouring heat down into your belly as Ravus’s body was flush against yours. Your touch circled around to his chest and you started unbuttoning his shirt. The smooth fabric flowed under your fingers as you worked your way downwards, exposing his chest.

“Do you want to–?” Ravus started, barely detached from your lips, but you had already answered with a breathy “Yes,” before he could finish the question.

Ravus retreated just enough to throw a searching glance at your eyes.

“M-maybe we should take this to the bedroom?” you managed to suggest before his lips would again rob your ability to speak.

“Agreed,” he husked and pulled you with him.

Your apartment was relatively small, but the intense journey from the kitchen nook to get through the bedroom door could’ve lasted a second and it still would’ve felt like an eternity. While you enjoyed every moment of it – and knocked down some stuff on the way – finally getting to pull Ravus down with you onto the sheets made you sigh contently aloud.

You lied down side by side, your limbs quickly tangling into less savory positions, lips playing together and hands wondering around. You swiped silvery strands away from Ravus’s face and combed your fingers through his hair. It was insane how much you wanted this man, but the want was stemming more from the deep affection you felt towards him rather than being driven by pure lust.

“What do you want to do?” Ravus asked softly, lips only just leaving yours. His caressing touch on your skin felt so good.

You hummed in thought and your hands paused on his belt. “Anything you want,” you tried to purr, but the tone was a tad too nervous and excited to sound seductive.

You felt how Ravus’s body went slightly rigid.

“We don’t have to go… _that_ far,” you stammered quickly.

“Let’s just… see what happens… If that’s okay with you?” Ravus uttered and cupped your cheek. His thumb gently stroked your cheekbone. The look in his eyes still had the burning fire, but you knew he would back down immediately if you would tell him to. Though, there really wasn’t a universe where you would.

Your heart soared as you took a more comfortable position next to Ravus and a fluttering smile spread to his lips as he leaned in to kiss you once more. You reached out to palm the bulge in his pants and were impressed at the hard erection you felt.

“Can I?” you asked quietly, heart racing at the thought.

Ravus swallowed. “Do you think I’m going to say no now?” He drew in a shaky breath.

You chuckled softly at his response and opened his pants.

_‘Well what do you know – even his cock is beautiful.’_

You stroked his length carefully, languidly; taking in the sight of the half-clothed man lying next to you. Ravus looked more stunning than ever, cheeks reddened and breathing labored, his member in your hand, waiting for attention.

You tugged it gently at first, examining his face for a sign of discomfort.

Ravus groaned quietly in pleasure. “You’re making it hard to control myself when I’m with you,” he huffed.

“Shh, just relax,” you whispered and continued pumping his member more firmly in a steady pace. You leaned in to kiss him, never losing the grip on his erection. You felt it pulsating under your palm with anticipation. Ravus leaned closer to you and his hands roamed your body as your lips massaged together.

Soon your kisses became sloppy and Ravus had to focus more and more on just breathing. Your movements were constant – determined to have him unravel.

Ravus murmured your name a few times before the tone became more warning, more demanding. He was so close to the edge and the disheveled look on his face made you feel elated – he was usually so temperate and kempt, but you had stripped all that off to reveal this raw side of him.

Ravus started to throb between your palm and fingers. His breathing hitched.

You moved enough to hold your shirt hem to the tip of his member, so you wouldn’t make a complete mess in the bed. Then you jumped up and quickly threw your ruined shirt over your head – at least it had been ruined for a good cause.

“Come here,” Ravus said in a raspy voice, reaching out to take your hand. A sweet blush of release was dusting his cheeks, his hair was disheveled and he looked just absolutely breathtaking.

The realization that he was yours and he wanted you too had been creeping inside your head, gaining more ground as your relationship had deepened. You were ready to completely give yourself to Ravus, to throw yourself into this relationship and hope your warm feelings were mutual. It was worth it. _He_ was worth it and your heart yearned for him as much as your body hummed with craving.

The bundle of fabric had barely touched the floor, when Ravus was already pulling you back into his arms, locking your lips into a kiss. His kisses travelled along your jaw, then down to your neck as he was hungrily feeling out your now bare upper body.

“Show me where you like to be touched,” Ravus whispered into your ear. He pushed you gently to your back.

Pleasant quivers ran through your spine and mind when you tried to muster a thought clear enough to be voiced out loud.

“Here…?” His hands wandered down your sides, and then back up along your exposed skin. This time he didn’t hold back touching your bra or dragging his finger under the waistband of your pants.

You hoped that you could have just undressed the rest of your clothes with the power of thought and be left completely at his mercy. “Y-yes,” you stuttered quietly. His breath on your ear tickled and made coherent thoughts impossible to achieve.

Ravus cupped your breasts and his fingers slipped swiftly underneath your bra to fondle the sensitive skin. His teeth grazed your auricle and a dazed sigh escaped your lips.

“Or here?” His lips traced softly down your jawline while his hand travelled south again.

You managed to make a needy, whining sound and wiggle down your pants with Ravus’s help. Your core was aching for his touch, the indulging, gentle warmth of his fingertips. You were ready to offer your body completely to him.

Your breathing hitched when Ravus’s hand finally dove into your panties. Quivering under his exploring touch, you arched your hips against his palm in an attempt at showing how much you wanted this. You were completely soaked from just the kisses and Ravus’s caress on your skin. The need pulsed between your legs and when his finger dipped inside you, it felt sinfully good.

“Oh, Ravus, yes…” you mewled and let your eyes flutter closed. Your hands felt out his bare chest and snaked into his hair and behind his neck.

Ravus’s soft, slow kisses along your neck and collarbone never ceased, while his fingers explored your dips and mounds, spreading your juices to ease the motions. You were so wet for him, that you had a half a mind to be slightly embarrassed. Maybe you had waited a bit too long after all.

Ravus’s breathing was getting more labored, but his ministrations continued to be excruciatingly slow and gentle. He began rolling his fingertip over your slick bundle of nerves, inciting a content and extremely pleased sigh from you.

_‘Second base has never felt this good,’_ you thought, almost delirious from the touch.

“Like this?” he hummed against your neck. His hair smelled so good.

“Mhm,” you mumbled in response, eyes closed and hips gently rocking in rhythm. You wanted it to never end, but at the same time you wanted, needed to come so badly. It was a delicious feeling to walk the edge, guided by Ravus at long last. His touch was gentle but determined and you were starting to see stars behind your closed eyelids.

The sound of Ravus’s breathing and his scent were the only things you tried to hold on to as he coaxed you to completely unravel.

He smirked against your neck at hearing you moan quietly. The movement of your hips became erratic and you could no longer resist giving in to the ecstasy.

Your breaths were heavy and your mouth was dry. Ravus was warm against you and he steered you through the tide of your orgasm, murmuring gentle praises into your skin and pressing small kisses after the words.

You had no idea you had needed this _that_ much. The bed underneath you had never felt softer and sweeter, and you wished you would never have to move from the position. Your heart was pounding like a drum from the excitement and exertion, and so was Ravus’s. There still was a dull pulsating between your legs, impatiently waiting to be indulged more.

You wanted to take the natural next step more than you had ever wanted to have someone inside you in your life. Your head felt hazy and you searched for Ravus’s lips to capture him into a searing kiss.

“That was amazing,” you murmured after the kiss.

“I want you to know… There is no other woman like you. You are perfect,” Ravus husked. He looked so genuinely happy and content that your heart fluttered.

“You’re making me all flustered,” you giggled in response and swiped hair strands off his face. You wanted nothing to obscure the disheveled perfection that was his face in that moment.

Ravus smirked mischievously. “Good. You’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”

You pulled him into another kiss full of fire and craving. In your mind you played with the thought of just letting go and going all the way with him. Gods knew how much you wanted to. You had agreed to take it slowly, but it was a hard thing to remember when your body screamed for you to just ravage the man.

“We should stop here… While I still can control myself,” Ravus said quietly. He could read your train of thought from the way your kisses deepened and became more demanding, but there was a profoundly dismayed undertone in his voice.

Some sensible part of your brain knew it was the right thing to do, but even though you had gained your release, the rest of you still wanted more.

“Yes… We should,” you breathed and kissed him again. His hard erection was pushing against your leg and it didn’t make it any easier to stop. Your core was begging for him to enter you and you wanted him so much.

Only the thought that you had something in your hands that you didn’t want to mess up kept you from giving in to the temptation. There would be ample time for you to find those burning feelings again. There was no need to rush it.

After a while of sloppy kisses and calming down, you got up from the bed, both smiling like lovesick fools.

It was still too early to turn in for the night and thanks to your impromptu make out session in the kitchen, you had never actually gotten to the part with coffee and movies. Though a shower would’ve been in order first, before nestling into the couch under Ravus’s arm and listening to him to scoff at some romantic comedy you picked out.

_‘I declare the heady infatuation phase officially begun,’_ you thought as you watched Ravus take off his clothes. You grabbed two towels and followed him to the shower.


	14. Chapter 14

A light knock from your office door broke the trance-like state of focus you were in. It took a moment for you to react appropriately.

“Come in!” you called, absent-mindedly biting your lip as you still skimmed over the lecture plan for the spring semester.

Aranea had given you the main load of making sure all of her courses had time and place properly set, all students were enrolled and the course plans had been outlined to suit the current needs for each class. Fortunately, there was not much to change. It was mostly just a dull job of double-checking everything and calling the same people over and over to make sure classroom 146 was booked for Aranea and not for “Psychology: Stress and Health Promotion”.

The office door opened and, to your delight, Ravus walked inside.

“Hey, what’s up?” you asked, pushing the papers to the side as a wide smile took over you.

“Hi Y/N…” Ravus greeted you and flashed a smile that spoke volumes about him having something uncomfortable to tell you. You stood up, and he walked over to you and took your hand into his. His eyes were cast on the floor as he spoke.

“I’m really sorry, but I have to cancel tonight. I need to be in Tenebrae in the morning, so I’m leaving today after work,” he said surprisingly meekly and sighed defeated.

Your shoulders slumped. It was supposed to be a date night for you two – cooking, good wine and a movie.

“Uh, it’s okay,” you hurried to assure, but of course Ravus could see right past your smiling façade. He knew you were disappointed.

You had been _officially_ dating for two weeks already and to be honest, there was something else you had been looking forward to more than food and wine. Three days ago you had managed to lure Ravus into spending the night at your place again and made sure he could no longer control himself. Though you had been sore and exhausted in the next morning, just the thought of that night’s events still raised a heat to your cheeks.

Ravus furrowed his brows in exasperation. “No, it’s not. I tried changing the meeting to the afternoon tomorrow, but–”

You placed your index finger on his lips. “You can make it up to me later,” you said in a suggestive tone and winked.

Ravus chuckled at your silly boldness. He took your hand and placed a kiss onto your palm. It made not beaming impossible to you. Then he leaned closer to place a kiss on your lips, to which you answered readily.

“Why not _now_?” Ravus whispered just as your lips were almost touching.

A pleasant chill shook your body. You couldn’t reply verbally as Ravus was already kissing you more deeply and passionately than you would have expected in the situation. You hoped that he had thought about locking the door after him, since you really had not been paying attention to anything else than the appearance of his gorgeous face.

Ravus steered your back towards the desk and you felt the edge against your bum. Your body was enveloped in the warm flames of desire, but the pulsing need was getting heavier in your core. If he would stop now what he was doing, your rage would claim lives.

Ravus drew your shirt hem from your skirt and pulled back from the kissing to hoist you on the desk from your waist. Some papers scattered underneath you, but you pushed all thoughts concerning their importance away. Ravus’s touch was hot even through the shirt fabric and his mouth descended upon your neck, trailing scorching kisses up to your ear. His breath fanning across your skin made the ache worsen between your legs and your panties were long ruined by now.

You hastily unbuttoned your shirt while Ravus pushed the skirt up your thighs. Your hands were slightly trembling from the excitement and you noticed the bulge touting in his pants. You let out a triumphant exhale and reached out to palm his groin. His smirk was obvious against your neck along with the breaths that quickly grew more labored.

Ravus’s hand caressed your thigh, moving upwards until it reached the edge of your panties. He yanked them and you lifted your body so he could pull them off. The sensation of sitting half-naked on your office desk with your boyfriend standing between your astride legs was exhilarating.

You moaned quietly when Ravus’s hand returned and began rubbing you in circles. Your hips buckled against the touch. With his free hand, Ravus lifted your chin to kiss you again. As his tongue sneaked into your mouth, he dipped a finger inside you and began slowly pumping it, steadily entering deeper and deeper into you. He inserted another finger. The wet, flapping sounds filled the room. Your body was on fire and felt limp at the same time.

It was getting harder to focus and keep on kissing. Your hips rocked in rhythm with Ravus’s fingers. As he pulled his digits outward, he crooked them up, massaging the spot which made you quiver involuntarily. Your exhales were getting forceful and shallow as Ravus kept bringing you closer to the edge.

You glanced at his face – his cheeks had gained a slight shade of red and the effort was evident.

He saw your gaze and placed a quick kiss on your lips. Then he fell on his knees, his fingers never ceasing their work. You leaned back onto your hands. Ravus pushed your legs wider apart and his mouth descended upon you.

You stopped all efforts on trying to keep quiet. You were trembling and moaning as his tongue lavished over you and his fingers kept their ruthless pace.

“R-Ravus… oh gods,” you mewled and tangled your fingers into his locks.

Ravus’s motions never ceased or slowed down, even when your grip on his hair tightened. You were completely at his mercy as he almost viciously steered you towards the discharge of pleasure.

With a long, languid lap of his tongue, your orgasm hit you hard. Your skin was prickling all over your body. You felt cold and hot at the same time. Your core was simultaneously numb and extra sensitive – Ravus’s each motion prolonged the sensation and your walls clenched violently around his fingers. Your release was more intense than the ones you had achieved on your latest night together.

Your body slumped as it relaxed from the tension. Ravus waited for your breathing to even out a little, making sure you had ridden out your waves of pleasure. He stood up, hastily opening his trousers to let out his hard erection.

While glancing at him appreciatively, you spread your legs even more, eager to have him inside you. As his member teased up and down your slick entrance, coating itself in your juices, you grabbed his hips to pull him inside you. Joint content sighs escaped both of your lips when Ravus filled you. He pushed all the way in carefully, letting you to adjust to accommodating him.

He felt even better than you had remembered. The heartfelt ache of having someone, who was so perfect _and_ filled you up so well, washed over you, drawing out a yearning whine.

Ravus laid his forehead against yours. His breathing was labored and he had a tight grip on your hips.

“Everything okay?” you asked. You had to take purchase from the desk so he didn’t push you backwards.

An incoherent grunt was your only reply, before Ravus began moving again. His motions were extravagantly slow as he buried himself into you. He felt so sinfully good filling you that you didn’t care what papers under you on the desk you might tarnish. You wrapped your legs around him.

With each thrust, Ravus pulled your hips against his and you tried to hold on to his shoulder and lean on the desk to stay at least somewhat still. The damp sounds of your lovemaking were covered by the pleased sighs, silent mewling and the occasional tumbling of each other’s names from both of your lips.

Under the satisfying pushes, you began another chase for your release. You leaned against Ravus’s chest as his hips moved, drawing out your orgasm that was closing in fast. The danger of getting caught and the excitement from the choice of place for the action were definitely affecting the rate at which your release was building up.

It was _fast_. You didn’t count, but it felt like less than ten thrust of feeling how Ravus’s shaft buried into you, filling and stretching your core, pressing just the right spots.

And you were done.

Your inner walls clenched around him almost vehemently and you fought to draw in enough oxygen to stay conscious. He still felt so incredible as his member started pulsing as a reaction to your release.

It was rough and fast, and nearly not enough to quench the scorching fire of lust inside you.

Ravus took a short moment to even out his breathing before pulling out. The papers underneath you had been completely soiled and as a passing thought you hoped there was nothing of vital importance. Though Aranea would have probably just laughed had you told her what had come over the papers.

“You should visit my office more often,” you cooed and Ravus helped you down from the desk.

“Well, you weren’t the only one waiting for tonight,” he revealed with a chuckle and smirked. That expression of his always made your heart stammer. He looked just so breathtaking.

“Fine then. Date night has been postponed with this… apology,” you smiled and pulled your panties back up, ignoring the uncomfortable damp feeling.

“Thank you, Y/N.” Ravus placed a kiss onto your forehead when you were busy settling your skirt properly.

“Call me when you get there, okay?” you said like you always did when he was about to go for a business trip. You had so little time for each other during the weekdays that trysts like this one would most likely become a regular occurrence sooner than later. Not that you would mind.

“I will. I’ll bring some wine for you again,” Ravus promised. He took your hands with a shallow sigh.

“Maybe you’ll soon take me with you to Tenebrae?” you asked, gazing into his pale blue eyes. He had a light blush on his cheeks – the only telltale sign that something not entirely proper had happened behind your closed office door.

“I’d like nothing more,” Ravus replied quickly, delight in his tone.

Just entertaining the possibility of taking you with him was enough to spread domestic warmth inside him. He wanted it. He wanted to take you to Tenebrae to see where he had grown up – all the mist-covered hills and fields of Sylleblossoms. He wanted for you to meet his family and the people who had lived with him ever since he was a child.

But most of all, as he wanted to know everything about you, he also wanted to tell you everything about himself. After all, you were the one Ravus had fixated his gaze on – albeit unconsciously at first. Now he could not take his eyes away from you. He didn’t even want to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading. We have come a long way and there is still one last chapter left that will hopefully tie up some loose ends and give happy surprises ❤️


	15. FINAL

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew, it has been almost a year since I started writing this fic and now it’s finally done! I really liked writing about Ravus, he could use some more love, being the block of ice he is. I really hope you enjoyed reading this. I’d love to hear your thoughts about this story in general. I feel that it’s been so long that I’ve actually improved during this journey, but also it’s been fun. I hope to write about Ravus someday again.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading! ❤️

A lovely New Year in Altissia, admiring the fireworks with hot cups of spiced wine; then spring break in Tenebrae. That was the deal you had made with Ravus to meet each other’s families.

You couldn’t help the nervous fidgeting of your hands as the train drew closer to the station in Zoldara Henge. Ravus placed his hand over yours and you looked up at the fond smile on his lips.

“Are you nervous?” he asked with an amused quirk of his brow.

“Haha. No,” you said with a nervous, high-pitched laugh. For the umpteenth time you pondered was it really wise to go with Ravus to visit his home. It was a long way from Insomnia and you had not made up your mind about trains yet. There were no trains in Altissia.

Ravus squeezed your hand softly and intertwined your fingers. “We can leave first thing tomorrow morning, if you wish,” he assured.

You shook your head decisively. “I’ll be fine,” you said and took in a deep breath. Scenery whooshed past behind the window. Tenebrae was really green and pretty, but there was an awful lot of tunnels since the railway went through the mountains.

Ravus tilted his head, examining your gradually relaxing features.

“Do you think she will like me?” you blurted. The question had been on your mind for weeks – as soon as the trip to Tenebrae had been confirmed, the next thing you had started to worry about was Ravus’s mother, Sylva.

Ravus’s smile faltered a bit and your heart stammered at the sight. “No, I don’t think she will _like_ you – I’m absolutely certain my mother will _adore_ you.” He lifted your hand up to place a small kiss over your knuckles. “You have nothing to worry about, Y/N.”

You sighed, heart racing at his ridiculously romantic reply and gesture.

 

* * *

 

When the cool and damp air of Tenebrae hit your face as you stepped out of the train, you remembered that afternoon spend in the orchid house with Ravus. The small, confined exhibition had been nothing compared to the real thing.

It was so _green_.

Ravus watched you with a light, amused smirk on his lips as you walked to the edge of the platform and gaped at the view before you. It was like you had been teleported into another world after the last tunnel. A curious light lit inside you – you wanted to get in there already and explore, get lost in the magical setting alone with Ravus.

You were used to living near the sea, but the mountains… The mist-covered, impossibly lush and green mountains floating in the air with their white, ornate buildings seamlessly integrated into the scenery… There were no words to describe it.

You turned to face Ravus, who had walked up to stand behind you, and beamed at him.

“I love it,” you uttered simply, eyes twinkling in excitement.

Ravus’s expression melted into a heartfelt smile and he leaned in to kiss you.

“Our ride is probably waiting,” he murmured only after pulling away.

“Let’s go then.”

Even though Ravus had told you probably everything there was to say about Fenestala Manor, you were still blown away by the beautiful architecture. It was a complicated structure, enveloped by greenery and divided into several buildings that were connected with bridges of varying width. The largest one of the buildings was Ravus’s home.

Ravus guided you through a massive pair of doors. You weren’t really surprised to see that everything was white inside the building too. The entrance hall was neatly decorated; nothing excessive or unnecessary was anywhere to be seen. You noticed how there were fresh flowers on almost every surface.

An elderly woman wearing a modest servant’s dress and a beaming smile stood in the middle of the room, hands clasped against her chest at the sight of the pair of you.

“Welcome home, Lord Ravus,” she said cordially as she walked over to you. Her voice was old, not entirely unlike a creaky hinge, but there was undeniable warmth in it.

_‘Lord? What?’_ you thought and grimaced inwardly, but let the question slip out of your mind.  

“Thank you, it’s good to see you.” You caught a glimpse of the most genuine smile you had seen on Ravus’s lips, when he spoke to the elder.  

The woman bowed her head and meaningfully fixated her eyes on you. You smiled at her when her gentle gaze took in your appearance.

Ravus cleared his throat.

“This is my… significant one,” he introduced you with a barely held back beam. The smile was twitching the corners of his mouth and you could interpret the expression as nothing else than ardor and pride. He was proud to introduce you as his beloved one to this elderly lady, whoever she was.

You shook the elder’s hand and told her your name. The heartfelt smile that spread onto her face had you smiling too. Her eyes twinkled as she regarded you as if nothing could have made her happier than your presence there with Ravus.

“It is wonderful to meet you, miss,” the woman said and bowed her head to you too. You didn’t know how to react, so you just continued smiling.

“Thank you. It’s nice to meet you too,” you said and turned to look at Ravus.

“Please instruct the driver to bring our luggage to my room”–the woman nodded–“I assume dinner is already over?” Ravus questioned.

“Ah, yes. We knew you were arriving, of course, so would you rather eat in your chambers or in the dining hall?”

_‘Chambers? Dining hall? Well it is an old manor, so I guess…’_ You stared at the woman, trying to look as un-befuddled as you could.

Ravus turned to ask your opinion on the matter with a slight raise of his brows.

“Oh, whichever is fine. I’m the guest, so I’ll follow you,” you replied, sounding more confident than you felt. It was as if you had been thrown into a princess play without your consent, so you just had to play along as best as you could.

“Very well then… Please bring the dinner to my chambers. We’ll go meet mother later, so please inform her that we have arrived.” You realized how different Ravus suddenly sounded. There was authority in his voice, but it was also the same gentle tone when he conversed with you.

“Yes, my lord,” the elderly woman said in her creaky voice and curtsied slightly, “It’ll be but a moment.”

“…Lord?” you asked as soon as she had left you alone with Ravus. You stared at him in fear and confusion.

Ravus chuckled lightly. “Titles,” he only said as an explanation, sounding dismissive. “This way.”

The manor was _huge_ indeed.

You had to take three flights of stairs and quickly lost count on all the turns and corridors you passed. The building was shaped like an upward spire with countless rooms. You made a mental note not to go look for the bathroom alone in the middle of the night.

Ravus’s room was as spectacular and luxurious as expected. It had one curved wall filled with windows. Most of the scenery was filled with clouds, though; you were so high in the mountains. Everything inside the room was decorated in curly, golden adornments; the furniture was specifically designed to fit together. There was a bed that looked softer than a pile of feathers, and you felt the sudden urge to jump on it.

Ravus silently waited while you gaped at his chambers. Your head spun around wildly as you skipped from the door to the large windows.

“This is breathtaking… This whole place looks like it belongs into a fairytale,” you summarized.

“Hm. You think so?” Ravus replied and paced after you. Everything was in its place just like he had left it in his last visit.  

“How did your family move in here?” you asked out of curiosity and turned to face Ravus, who looked contemplating.

“This has been my family’s house for eons, so I don’t really recall. The royal family of Tenebrae has always lived here,” he explained nonchalantly.

You paused and squinted at Ravus.

“ _Royal_ family?” you repeated with suspicion lacing your tone.

Ravus looked relaxed, if a tad worried at your reaction. “Yes,” he confirmed and took your hands, “This is the royal palace of Tenebrae, so to speak.” His thumbs moved over the back of your hands in a calming manner, but you barely noticed it.

Puzzle pieces clicked together in your mind and you blinked. Your heart began beating faster and you felt light-headed, but also wanted to laugh out loud.

_‘He must be joking… But Ravus doesn’t joke.’_ You swallowed nervously and cleared your throat. A light chuckle escaped you as you tried to find the right words.

Ravus’s expression furrowed in deeper worry as he watched the laughter die to your lips.

“So, if… if Tenebrae was still a monarchy…” you struggled to piece the words together, “you… you…”

Ravus’s brows quirked up. “I would be a prince, yes.”

“H-holy–” You slapped your hands over your mouth in horror, pulling them away from Ravus’s gentle grip. You felt dizzy and had to go sit down on the ridiculously huge and flamboyant bed.

Ravus looked utterly lost as he gazed into your eyes. He called out your name softly, multiple times, before you reacted with a sigh… that turned into hysterical laugh.

“Darling… _darling, please_ calm down,” he begged you, still not knowing what to do to help the breaking news be received better.

You fell down onto your back on the bed, still chuckling breathily. You stared at the ornate ceiling, laced with golden lines and curious lights. It was beautiful. Fit for a _prince_.

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” you asked after calming down.

Ravus sat next to you to the bed. He was utterly puzzled. “I-I’m sorry, I thought you knew.”

“I’m not in the habit of moogling my dating partners!” you whined, but Ravus just laughed. The relieved joy made you chuckle again too. The whole situation was just so surreal.

What you learned in the following five minutes was that your boyfriend was ranked among the top five most wanted bachelors of Niflheim. He also _owned_ one fourth of the massive company of Nox Fleuret  & Co. So in addition to being disturbingly handsome, he was also filthy rich _and_ of noble blood.

So many things suddenly made sense to you: Ravus’s reluctance at showing interest in you, his bad previous experiences in dating partners, and even the way he dressed.

The dinner arrived along with your luggage just in time to stop the overflowing flood of questions that were bubbling inside you. Ravus promised to answer all of them when you next had a moment to sit down and talk in peace.

While you were a nervous mess about finally meeting Ravus’s mother later in the evening, you soon found out that your concerns had been for naught.

Sylva Nox Fleuret was absolutely delighted to meet you. She welcomed you to Tenebrae and Fenestala Manor with open arms, and also made you giggle with her remarks of relief concerning her son’s love life.

The evening went by with pleasant chatter, including lots of questions from the worried mother and deep exploration of your most disliked topic: Yourself. Despite your silent pleas of help, Ravus was content with only following the conversation in agreeing hums and other wordless reactions.

However, just as you had cleared out one source of anxiety, Sylva presented the next.

“Ravus, did I remember to tell you we will be having a small gathering tomorrow evening?”

You turned to look at Ravus, who raised a brow at his mother. “No?”

Sylva waved her hand, as if to implicate there was no cause for concern. “Just family and friends. Some food and wine. Maybe dance? Hm? What do you think?”

“Isn’t it a bit late to do the arrangements?” Ravus said dryly and glanced at you. You definitely had not brought your party dress.

“The seamstress will be here tomorrow,” Sylva turned to say to you, “and Luna arrives in the forenoon. Oh, do not fret, everything will turn out fine.”

Ravus let out a sigh. “If you say so, mother.”

 

* * *

 

 The following morning arrived with a clear sky and an irresistible scent of baked goods wafting about in the hallways. The impossibly clean white walls of Fenestala Manor were gradually bathing in the cool light as the sun climbed higher.

Waking up next to Ravus was not something you had yet the pleasure to get used to. Remembering his presence under your dreamily wandering fingers woke you up into a smile. Light crept into the room behind your closed eyelids, but you curled closer next to Ravus, hiding under the sheets from the busy day ahead.

He too roused from his sleep and turned to pull you closer, skin against skin. You sighed contently into his bare chest, and then inhaled the familiar scent. How long had it been since the last slow morning spent waking up together? There was something unexplainable in how the tender feeling made your heart flutter, but your mind was serene.

“Morning,” Ravus husked, drawing lazy patterns into your skin and caressing your temple.

“Morning.” You pushed your lips onto his chest and hummed. There was nothing more you could’ve asked for in the moment. It was perfect.  

“Slept well?”

“Always with you,” you replied.

Ravus’s body shook from a muted chuckle. He lowered down to your eyelevel and kissed you gently. Carefully, he turned and climbed on top of you, one hand appreciating your curves on its way down to spread your legs.

You combed your fingers through Ravus’s hair, lips softly moving against his with no haste. You loved these moments with him; lying in the sheets, the light coming from outside as the faint reminder that the outside world still existed. You loved his weight on you; the feeling of him stretching you open, with passion held back until he was sure you would delight in the strokes too. He was always so restrained at first, but you knew that prison would crumble with only a few well-chosen words.

“I love you,” you husked into Ravus’s ear as he sank into you, breath wavering from the excitement and exertion.

Ravus halted, kissed you with urgency and barely could find the breath to reply, “I love you too.”

He pushed you into the mattress, urging you to wrap your legs around him and began trailing open-mouthed kisses on your jaw and neck. You pulled him even deeper, fingernails digging into his back, until the stretch felt almost painful.

You made love until well into the morning, not bothered by the gradually increasing songs of the birds from outside, or by the occasional light knocks on the door. The moment was only for you two, for yourselves to indulge in each other, to explore and quench the physical needs smoldering inside you.

With your bodies temporarily exhausted, you laid side by side in the tangled sheets, just breathing in the musky air.

“Have you decided what to do after the internship ends?”

It was not the first time Ravus had brought up the subject. Likely because you still had not been able to give him an actual answer.

You examined the patterns in the ceiling, trying to find some logic in the way they swirled, twisted and turned on the satin blue background. The silent question lingered in the air while Ravus stroked your naked back with his fingers.

“Honestly? I have no idea.” You turned to look at him.

“Maybe I should hire you then.” A light smile tugged at the corners Ravus’s lips. His eyes regarded you softly. His silvery hair was messy twirls on the pillows.

You let out a laugh and intertwined your fingers. “Wrong field, I’m afraid.”

“I brought this upon myself, so I suppose it’d only be fitting,” Ravus said.

Your brows shot up. “What do you mean?”

Ravus’s smile widened. He stroked your cheek, fingers softly brushing over your cheekbone and down your jawline. “Aranea asked my opinion when she was deciding who to hire.”

“And you told her to hire _me_? Based on what?” you yelped incredulously, focus completely stolen from the ceiling’s patterns.

Ravus laughed. “Based on _extracurricular activities_.”

You didn’t know should you laugh or feel insulted. Seeing Ravus so relaxed, lying beside you with only the silken sheets covering his body, made getting mad extremely difficult.

“And here I thought you... disliked me from the first time you laid eyes on me,” you smiled.

Ravus planted a kiss onto your shoulder. “Aren’t you glad you proved me wrong?”

With a gentle chuckle you turned, pushing your leg between his thighs and moving your body closer to his. “Aren’t you?”

With your lips so close to his again, Ravus didn’t bother replying with words anymore.

 

* * *

 

 You had gathered at the entrance hall, waiting for the carriage outside to be unloaded. Ravus was seemingly jubilant, or as much as one could expect from him.

You, on the other hand, were more or less nervous again. It had been ages since you had seen Luna, and things between you and Ravus had progressed quite a bit since then. If they would continue in such a course, your relation to her would become much more defined too.

Hanging out with Luna in her home when you were dating her brother felt more serious than meeting their mother.

The opening door pulled you from the anxious thoughts and you stood still, smiling awkwardly as you waited your turn to greet Luna.

“It’s so nice to see you here!” she said happily and gave you a quick embrace that left you to stare at her dumbfound.

“Uh, it’s nice to see you too, Luna. How you’ve been?” you asked, still not recovered from the overwhelmingly friendly greeting. Apparently she did not perceive your presence as odd as you did.

“I am well, thank you. I should go drag mother out of her study, right? Has she been there the whole time?”

Ravus sighed. Luna’s guess was spot on. “Please do. Tell her I can help tomorrow, so she should take a break now.”

Luna nodded, flashed a heartfelt smile at you and skipped up the stairs without further ado.

“There’s something going on with the company?” you wondered aloud.

“Yes, and mother has been sacrificing more of her time than usual to solve it. She probably wanted to be done with it before the party tonight.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. If there is anything I can do to help…”

You began pacing up the stairs after Luna. Ravus hummed in thought. “You shouldn’t offer, but we can look into it tomorrow. For now, we need to focus on the party.”

You let out a half-chuckle half-sigh. “Yes, let’s. The first big issue is: I didn’t bring anything to wear.”

Ravus flashed a melting smirk at you. “And soon you will be glad you didn’t.”

He didn’t elaborate after seeing your quizzical expression.

 

* * *

 

When Ravus had said you would be glad you hadn’t brought a dress, you weren’t so sure he had been right. The seamstress who served the Nox Fleuret family had brought the most beautiful fabrics and breathtaking decorations with her. Too bad there wasn’t time for her to sew a dress from a scratch for you.

When you saw the walk-in closet filled with outfits from past generations, you squealed in horror and delight.

Luna flashed the most excited reassuring smile you had ever seen.

“The faster we find a dress for you…” she said, eyeing your frame as if trying to decide something.

_‘Feels like going to a battle. At least I’m not alone.’_

“Thank you for doing this,” you swallowed.

As it turned out, finding a dress was neither fast or easy. There were hundreds of outfits in the closet, all of them gorgeous, some of them a little old-fashioned but mendable with quick tuning. Luna and the seamstress Nina were eagerly talking about the options, pulling down a dress after dress for you to try on. You were permanently stuck behind the folding screen in the corner of the room.

“Hm, how about this one?” Luna arrived with a light blue dress. It was as beautiful as the ones before, but the only downside was that it was filled with sequins.

_‘I’m gonna look like a disco ball if I wear that.’_

You shook your head carefully and grimaced. “Not really my style.”

Luna let out a short laugh. “Right, I thought not.”

She went back into the closet and this time took a good while to come back. Nina had an almost smug smile on her lips when she saw the dress Luna was carrying.

A light gasp escaped you. You knew instantly that it was the one.

The long hem was silvery with a mermaid flounce, and the fabric flowed like water in Luna’s hands. The bodice was black, slightly open cut sweetheart-style with thin straps.

It framed your body perfectly, giving you a dashing outline and an angelic silver aura. The only downside was that the straps were a bit too long for you, making the dress hang uncomfortably low. Maybe the waistline could’ve been a tad more snug too.

“We should take an inch in from here… and shorten the straps,” the seamstress said as she tugged the fabric, fitting it better on you.

Luna smiled like the sun, hands clasped on her chest. “You look so beautiful.”

“Thank you, Luna,” you said sheepishly, “It’s the dress.”

She giggled heartily and went on to take some of the unused outfits back into the closet. You stripped the flowy piece of clothing, still amazed at how it was so smooth and light. It felt like you had nothing on, but not in a bad way. It was airy and cool. Even in your hands, the silvery fabric had a distinguishable halo.

“I’ll get to work then so we’ll have time to make last minute fixes if needed,” Nina said as she took the dress from you.

“Thank you,” you smiled and moved on to help Luna.

As the seamstress left the room, she almost bumped into Ravus. You could hear their mixed apologies to the closet and hurried outside to greet him.

“Done so soon?” Ravus asked from you with amusement in his tone and a raised brow.

“Ah, yes, there are so many that it was difficult to settle just for one,” you replied.

“I can only imagine.”

“I hope you have checked your outfit too, brother,” Luna reminded, walking out of the closet.

“Do not worry. And, I just came from the ballroom. Everything seems to be in order,” Ravus said. He sounded slightly surprised, but it was more of a “I should have known”-tone than anything else.

“Already?” You walked to him and hesitated for a moment before taking his hand into yours. It was warm and you instantly felt calmer.

“Well the party was scheduled months ago apparently. After I informed mother we were planning on coming to visit, I assume.”

“As expected,” Luna commented with mirth in her voice.

Ravus chuckled in agreement.

“I see… and I was rather worried when your mother first told us about the party. When was that again? Oh right. _Last night_.”

Luna laughed. Her eyes glinted towards Ravus.

“I’m sorry. She has an inclination towards these things,” Ravus said, “The dress should be done soon, right?”

You nodded.

“Good. Care to go for a cup of coffee while we wait?”

 

* * *

 

You remembered several times you had been as nervous as you were while inspecting yourself from the tall mirror. Surprisingly many of those times had happened in recent memory, in the span of few short days.

Coming to Tenebrae _by train_ , seeing Ravus’s home, meeting his mother, spending time with his sister. It was all making your head spin. And now there was a party, where you were expected to socialize and show the Nox Fleuret family’s acquaintances and friends your best sides.

You didn’t want to think about it like that, but it didn’t change the fact that you were the newest candidate to become part of the most influential – and wealthiest – family in Tenebrae. Being with Ravus had made it clear that he didn’t waste his time in casual affairs nor did he spend time with someone just to go out on dates. Everything he did had a sense of purpose, a drive to a larger goal.

You swallowed the nervousness and inhaled to calm yourself. It was just a party and your only objective was to have fun and not to make a fool out of yourself.

As the finishing touch, you sprayed in the air a little bit of the perfume Ravus had brought to you from Tenebrae in one of his business trips, and walked through the scent.

_Perfect._

Ravus was ready to go when you emerged from the dressing room. He jumped up from the bench and gaped at you in awe. His hand rose to beckon you to come closer.

“You’re beautiful,” he said simply, but what really made your heart somersault was the tone: Affectionate, proud, amazed.

“Thank you.”

You took his arm and you paced in silence towards the ballroom. Smiling was difficult due to the nervousness still coiling inside you. It made your cheeks hurt.

Ravus saw the funny faces you were making and stopped you just before the last staircase.

“Relax – you’ll be just fine. I’ll be with you.” He took your hands and pulled you closer. His expression was serene with a light smile. His gaze was soft, loving, and it didn’t help your heart to settle down.

“Promise?” you asked, trying to reach a teasing tone, but the nervous stammering overrode it.

“Always,” Ravus whispered and placed a light kiss to your temple.

You knew that as long as you were with him, you would be fine. As you stepped inside the ballroom, the warmth inside you was shared with Ravus walking beside you. You were walking towards the beginning of your happily ever after.


End file.
